Cherry Blossom Witch
by Inkster Girl
Summary: A child will be born, as the story goes, with eyes of emerald and hair color rose. Unmentionable power she will bring, and the one she loves, she will give her power, and he will reign as King. This is the prophecy of the Cherry Blossom Witch.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer**: I do not own the characters of _Naruto_, nor do I own the rights to the anime or manga in which the characters are derived. I do however own this story, since I am the one who wrote it. So keep your hands off!!! Thank you

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**Chapter 1**

Her breath fogged up the window of the car as it traveled down the road. Her emerald eyes watched as the scenery of houses, cars and signs rushed past. She blew another warm breath onto the cold glass, watching as the fog slowly receded. Beside her, her aunt sighed, her warm caramel gaze flitting over to the girl.

"Sakura? You ok? You know, you shouldn't be worried about starting a new school. It's the start of the second semester anyway, so you won't miss much class." Tsunade said, trying to reassure her niece, and herself somewhat.

Sakura turned her head to glance at her aunt indifferently, before returning her attention back to the window. "It's not even about that Aunt Tsunade."

Tsunade turned onto a different street, her eyes looking down the street at something still a little ways off. "Than what's it about Sakura? You've barley talked at all since I picked you up from the airport. Just tell me what's keeping you in such a down trodden mood."

Sakura scoffed. "'Down trodden mood'? Have you been reading your thesaurus Aunt Tsunade?"

Tsunade pouted. "Just a couple of pages……. "

Sakura chuckled. Tsunade smiled at the sound. "Hey, haven't heard that in a while. I was scared there for a minute kid. You know, when you were younger, you used to laugh and smile almost all the time. The only time you didn't was when you were asleep. Although lately……. You know, it's not the end of the world. Yeah, what happened was awful, and that guy was a major douche bag for getting you into that mess, but you can't keep letting him get you down. That's why you decided to come here right? Fresh start and all that, right?"

Sakura shrugged. "I thought so. It seemed like such a good idea at the time, but now I'm not so sure. I feel like such a dumbass for ever believing him in the first place, and because I decided to move away, I feel like a coward on top of that. I mean, I shouldn't be the coward in all this. It's him who's supposed to be afraid of me, except that I haven't come into my powers yet," she grumbled.

"I know princess, but you got to move on. Not every guy on the planet is like him. All you need is some rest, and you'll be back to your old self. And who knows, maybe you'll come into your powers while you're here with me. You know I'll help you in any way I can."

Sakura smiled gratefully at her aunt. "Thanks Aunt Tsunade. I knew you were my favorite relative for a reason." Sakura's eyes shifted to something over Tsunade's shoulder. "Uh, Aunt Tsunade, I think we just passed the house."

Tsunade glanced over her shoulder, swore, and turned the car around. She drove into the driveway, and stepped out of the car. Sakura stepped out from her side, and stood looking at the house.

"Well kid, welcome home."

Sakura looked up at the neon green house, thinking that she shouldn't look at it too long or she may go blind. She looked at her aunt, eyebrow raised. "Can you tell me again why you chose this color?"

Tsunade shut the door, and headed towards the trunk. "I did not choose the color. I lost a bet. Come help me unload the car. We gotta get your stuff upstairs to your room, and than we'll order pizza. How's that sound? And since it's Friday, we can unpack you stuff and decorate your room tomorrow. We'll leave Sunday for town and school tours, k?"

Sakura sighed and nodded. She helped Tsunade unload the car, and followed her up the stairs onto the porch and through the door.

Inside, the color palette was a little tamer than the outside of the house. Browns, blacks and beiges greeted her as she stepped into the entrance. To her right, she could see a living room with black leather couches, a glass coffee table, and a large flat screen TV with surround sound stereo system, and a top of the line blu-ray player. She also happened to spot an Xbox Live gaming system. _Later_, she told herself. She glanced to her left and looked into a dining room with a mahogany dining table that seated 6, a glass case with bottles of wine and glass china on the shelves There were also a couple of large decorative vases in the corner.

"Sakura! Come on, you can check out the house later. Let's put your bags upstairs." Tsunade called from the middle of the staircase, where she was standing with two bags of Sakura's luggage.

Sakura smiled apologetically at her aunt and followed her up the stairs.

"Your room is the last one on the left of the hall. You have your own bathroom that connects to your room only. I use the one across from my room. I'm not so mean that I'll make you share a bathroom with me. I wouldn't even make myself share a bathroom with me." She laughed.

Sakura smiled as she and her aunt walked down the hall to her room.

"I didn't do anything really to the room. I just put a bed in there, a desk, and an armoire for your clothes. I figured you'd take care of the decorating yourself. I did, however, have it painted the color that you wanted."

"Thank you Aunt Tsunade."

"No problem princess," Tsunade replied, and with a grunt, put the bags down in front of a white painted door. She put her hand on the doorknob and opened the door. "Here we are."

Sakura let Tsunade in the room first, before stepping in herself. She looked around at the spacious room that she would be occupying for the next 5 months. The walls were a comforting forest green color, her favorite. The mattress has white sheets on it with a purple comforter over it. The desk was opposite her bed, and the armoire was in the corner nearer the door, backed against the same wall that the desk was. Both were white washed to match the bed, and the doors. There was a floor length mirror on the other side of the door frame. The closet and the bathroom doors were on the opposite wall to the door, and two windows flanked either side of her bed.

Sakura looked at Tsunade and smiled. "This is great Aunt Tsunade. Thanks again."

Tsunade smiled back at Sakura. "No problem. I'll just put your bags next to the armoire. Why don't you check out the bathroom?" She said, and busied herself by heaving Sakura's luggage over to the corner.

Leaving Tsunade with the bags, Sakura made her way across the cream colored carpet and opened the door that led to her bathroom. She was greeted warmly with soft, gold colored walls, with lapis lazuli flowers climbing up along the door frame, and around the mirror. The sink was white porcelain, as was the counter, and bathtub. The faucets in the sink, and in the tub, were both colored gold. The tiles on the floor were the same color was the flowers, and the towels hanging from the walls were blue with white trim. A small window, opposite the mirror, overlooked the alley between Tsunade's house, and the house next door.

Sakura felt her eyes tear up at the sight, but quickly wiped them away. She knew that Tsunade wasn't used to displays of emotions, and she didn't want to ruin the comfortable mood with her crying.

She walked back out of the bathroom, closing the door behind her. She smiled at Tsunade as she lifted her head after putting her bags away in the corner.

"So, how do you like it?" Tsunade asked, straightening up.

"It's fantastic. I love it, I really do. The room, the bathroom, and you too Aunt Tsunade. I really appreciate all that you've done for me."

Tsunade smiled, embarrassed. "Aww, it was nothing princess. You know I'd do anything for you." She held her arms out. "Come on, I know you want to."

Sakura smiled and went into her aunts arms, hugging her fiercely. Tsunade hugged her back just as hard, her eyes tearing up a bit. She coughed and let Sakura go, blinking. "Well, I'm gonna go order pizza. Do you want anything specific on yours?"

Sakura shook her head, and watched Tsunade exit the room to order the pizza. She sat on her bed and lay down, sighing. _This is it_, she thought. _Can't go back now. I'm going to make the most of this, and that's final. School will be fine. I'll make new friends, and I'll still keep in touch with my old ones. Yeah, everything will be fine._

Thirty minutes later, Tsunade called her down for dinner. After eating, Sakura returned back upstairs and changed into her pajamas. She felt exhausted, and figured that it was the jet lag catching up with her. She switched off the light, and climbed into bed. _I'll unpack tomorrow, and than on Sunday Aunt Tsunade will take me around town, and than……school. _She yawned, and with that final thought, fell into a dreamless sleep. 


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer**: I do not own the characters of _Naruto_, nor do I own the rights to the anime or manga in which the characters are derived. I would also like to add that I do not own the movies Die Hard, Taken, or Outlander. I also do not own Liam Neeson, Bruce Willis or Jim Caviezel, although I wish I did. I do however own this story, since I am the one who wrote it. So keep your hands off!!! Thank you

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**Chapter 2**

After sleeping for the entire night, Sakura felt refreshed. She used her new bathroom, washed her face, and than went downstairs to join Tsunade for breakfast. She greeted her aunt as she walked into the kitchen.

"Good morning. Mmm, whatever you're cooking smells good."

Tsunade chuckled. "I'm making pancakes. And after spending all that money on culinary school, you'd think that my cooking would smell good. Especially since I'll be opening the restaurant soon."

Sakura opened the fridge, got the milk, than headed to the cupboard to grab a cup. "Oh yeah, that's right. With your friend…..what was her name?"

Tsunade flipped the pancake in the air before catching it in the pan and setting it on the plate nearby. "Shizune. You remember, I told you the story about how we went to school together, and than a few years after, we met up again and decided to go into business together." She placed a plate of pancakes in front of Sakura and sat down opposite her with her own plate.

Sakura did remember. It was two years ago when Tsunade had called her mom to tell her that she was going to open her own restaurant. It was quite the surprise, since it came right out the blue, especially since Tsunade has a stable job as the cook in a fancy hotel. But she had made up her mind to go into business with an old college friend, who she had been close to in school.

Sakura remembered her mother talking about it. Her mother knew that her older sister had a good head on her shoulders, and that she was a fantastic cook. She would have no problem opening her own place, except for the fact that Tsunade had a slight gambling problem. Although 'slight' might not be the right word. Her mother was worried that Tsunade would make a bet with a friend or colleague, and that the bet would result in Tsunade losing the restaurant. So she had offered Tsunade the option of having the deed in her name temporarily, than when the plans and construction were complete, she would sign everything over to Tsunade. Tsunade hadn't agreed at first, but after the incident with the house bet, she changed her mind. Sakura's mother was going to officially sign over the restaurant in three months, at the grand opening.

Tsunade took a bite of her syrup drowned pancakes and looked over at Sakura. "Hey, you gonna eat or what princess?"

Sakura shook her head to clear her thoughts, and smiled apologetically at Tsunade. "Sorry, I guess I dazed out for a minute. Thanks for the pancakes."

"No problem. Just eat up. We're gonna need a lot of energy if we're going to unpack all your stuff today."

Sakura nodded and dug into her breakfast.

After they ate, Sakura and Tsunade went to Sakura's room and started to unpack her things. They worked and organized for a couple of hours before deciding to stop for lunch. They had already put away all of Sakura's t-shirts, sweaters, and pajamas. After lunch, they would put away Sakura's formal wear, pants, and her books and other knick-knacks that she had brought from home.

They went downstairs, and Tsunade fixed them up some chicken sandwiches with French fries. After they ate, they headed back upstairs and finished unpacking. By the time they had emptied out the bags, it was close to four in the afternoon.

Sakura looked around at her room as she dusted herself off. It was still a little bare, but now it had thing's that reminded her of home. There was a picture of her and her friend TenTen sitting on the corner of the desk. Her favorite books were on the other corner, which were being held upright by a metal mesh pencil holder that her dad had given to her. Her laptop was sitting on the desk, and her diary was secreted away in one of the desk drawers. All of her clothes were now in their proper places, and her favorite stuffed moose was atop a pillow, overlooking his new kingdom.

Tsunade stood beside her and grunted. "It's still pretty bare. You know what, I'll move the flat screen in my room in here, and hang it on the wall just above your desk, and while we're doing the tour thing, we'll stop by a hardware store so we can pick up some stuff so that we can put up some shelves. How about it?"

Sakura smiled at her aunt. "That would be great, but it's not necessary."

Tsunade snorted. "Yeah it is. Don't worry about the TV, I've still got the one downstairs. Besides, everything I need is downstairs, including the kitchen and my office. I only use my room for sleeping. You can have the TV. And you're getting shelves. You never know when you'll need shelves."

Sakura nodded, and smiled gratefully at her aunt. "Alright, I won't argue with you. Thanks again."

Tsunade patted her head. "No problem princess. Hey, I gotta go out for a bit. I'll pick up some food and a movie on the way, what do you say?"

Sakura nodded. "That sounds like a good idea."

Tsunade started to walk out the door, but stopped and turned back to Sakura. "Anything you want in particular that you want to eat?"

Sakura thought for a moment, than said, "Is there a good Chinese place around here?"

Tsunade grinned. "You bet. And I'm friends with the people that own it, so I can probably get some extra egg rolls, wonton soup, and fried rice."

Sakura's mouth watered. "I love fried rice."

Tsunade's grin widened. "I know. I'll be back in a couple of hours. In the mean time, you can check out the house, or watch TV, or whatever. See you later," Tsunade said, waving goodbye.

A couple of minutes later, Sakura heard the front door close. She looked around her room, and when her eyes fell on her laptop, she decided to her e-mail. She logged in, and went to her hotmail account. Sure enough, there was an e-mail from her best friend TenTen. She opened it and read what it said.

_Dear Sakura,_

_ I MISS YOU!!!! If you had listened to me, I could have come with you! You know that I could have fit into one of those luggage bags of yours. But nooooooooo…... you had to remind me that in order to come with you, I would have to get on a plane. That was pretty devious of you missy, using my fear of flying to keep me grounded. But I will find a way! Even if I have to dig all the way there. Just hope that I don't take a wrong turn at Albuquerque. LOL _

_ Anyway, how's the house? And the town? How's your aunt doing? Please tell me everything that's happened so far, no detail is too tedious! :) Love you, miss you, can't live without you, write me back soooooon!!!!!_

_TenTen_

Sakura smiled at the letter. She missed TenTen already. They had been best friends since preschool, and they had been there for each other every big event. She was scared that she wouldn't be able to make friends at her new school, especially since almost everyone at the new school were 'unique' like her.

She sighed and started typing an answer letter to TenTen. She wrote about the flight, the car ride, the funky color of the house, her room, her aunt, and other things as well.

After she had sent the reply, she surfed the net, checked her Facebook, played Farmville for a bit, than logged off. She looked at her watch, saw that she still had an hour to kill, so she went downstairs and went to watch TV.

When Tsunade came in, she nearly dropped the grocery and take-out bags she was holding when Sakura screamed, "Yippee Ki Yay Mother Fucker!!!"

"Sakura! Are you watching Die Hard without me?! Which one is it?" She whined, walking into the living room behind Sakura.

Sakura looked over at Tsunade, smiling guiltily. "Sorry Tsunade, but I couldn't help it. Spike is having a Die Hard marathon! The second one's just ending, but the third one is gonna start and than the last one is going to be on." Her bright eyes fell on the bags that Tsunade was holding. "Need help?"

Tsunade shifted the bags on her hip and shook her head. "Nah. Let me put this stuff in the kitchen, and than I'll bring the take-out out here, and we can watch and eat as we watch Bruce Willis kick ass. Oh, and I rented Outlander and Taken."

Sakura grinned from her spot on the leather couch as she watched Tsunade lumber into the kitchen. "Awesome, I love Liam Neeson and Jim Caviezel!"

"So do I." Tsunade said, putting the groceries away. A couple of minutes later, she came out with the Chinese. Tsunade and Sakura dug in and watched Die Hard movies until nine. After the last one, they decided to leave the other two for Sunday, and they both said goodnight and went to bed.

As Sakura lay in bed, she smiled as her mind went over the day. She felt so at home here already, she just hoped that getting used to her new school was going to be just as easy. As she drifted off, a little voice inside her head that she usually referred to as Inner Sakura, whispered quietly, "_Don't bet on it_."


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer**: I do not own the characters of _Naruto_, nor do I own the rights to the anime or manga in which the characters are derived. I do however own this story, since I am the one who wrote it. So keep your hands off!!! Thank you.

* * *

**Chapter 3**

Sakura woke up to the smell of bacon. Still half asleep, she threw back the covers and followed the heavenly scent to the kitchen, where she saw Tsunade standing over the stove.

"Morning." Sakura said sleepily, plopping down at the breakfast table, propping her head up with her hand.

Tsunade turned and smiled at Sakura. "Good morning Sakura. Sleep well?"

Sakura nodded, and yawned. "Mmhmm."

Tsunade gave a little smile, and served up breakfast for herself and Sakura. Sakura dug in with vigor. In ten minutes, both Sakura and Tsunade sat back, sighing in contentment.

"If I get to have breakfast like that everyday, you might never get rid of me." Sakura said, grinning from across the table.

Tsunade chuckled. "We'll see. Anyway, today's gonna be a busy day princess. I got to take you around town, see the sights, show you the way to school…..And do some other things. So go get ready, we leave in thirty."

Sakura got up with a groan, and headed upstairs. She got changed, brushed her teeth and than came back down stairs, where she found Tsunade already waiting for her.

"Ready to go?" Tsunade asked, opening the door.

Sakura nodded, and put on her shoes and coat as Tsunade walked out to start the car. A few minutes later, Sakura followed, closed and locked the door behind her, and jumped into the car.

They went to the library first. The card would come in very handy since Tsunade knew that Sakura liked reading, and the card would also be helpful when Sakura would need information for school. Since Sakura was just seventeen, Tsunade had to sign for the card. So while she filled out Sakura's information, she told Sakura to take a look around the library to familiarize herself.

Sakura took a couple of minutes to wander around the library while Tsunade filled out her information. She was walking through the fiction section, when she suddenly bumped into someone.

"Oh, I'm so sorry! I didn't see you there." Sakura apologized.

The man that she had bumped into turned around to look at her. He smiled at her, or at least, Sakura thought that he was smiling at her. It was hard to tell since half his face was covered with a scarf. His eyes crinkled though, so Sakura assumed that he was smiling. He also had a head full of shaggy white silver hair, which surprised Sakura, because she guessed that the man couldn't be more than thirty.

"Not a problem young miss. I'm used to people bumping into me all the time. Are you looking for something in particular that I can help you with?" The white haired man asked.

"Umm, no I was just looking around. Thank you though, mister…."

"Kakashi. I'm the head librarian here at Konoha Library. Are you new in town? Can't say that I've seen you here before, and I must say, pink hair is rather hard to forget," Kakashi said, his eyes crinkling again.

Sakura smiled back at him. "Yes, I just moved to town. My name is Sakura Haruno; it's nice to meet you Kakashi-san. Actually I'm here to get a library card. My aunt should be done by now, so I'm afraid that I have to go. Goodbye Kakashi-san," she said, walking backwards and waving goodbye.

Kakashi gave her another eye crinkle and waved goodbye. "Goodbye Sakura. I hope to see you again."

Sakura waved one final time and headed back to the reception desk. Tsunade was waited for her when she got there.

"Hey, took your time didn't you?" She joked, smiling. "I got your card here," Tsunade said. She reached into her pocket and took out the plastic card. "Here you go, one passport to adventure."

Sakura took the card with a grin. "Passport to adventure? That's a bit cheesy, don't you think?"

Tsunade shrugged. "I'm a chef. I can be as cheesy as I want to be, as long as it's in good taste." Sakura snorted as Tsunade slung an arm around her shoulders and lead her to the car. "Let's go to the hardware store first, get you those shelves, and than I can show you the way to your new school."

They got in the car, and drove to the hardware store where they purchased two sets of shelves for Sakura's room. After they were done there, Tsunade drove them to the high school that Sakura would be attending the next day.

Tsunade drove into the deserted parking lot, and parked near the football field. She turned off the car, and sat there looking at the red brick building. "Well, what do you think?"

Sakura looked up at what seemed to be a three story castle. "It's…..big." Sakura said.

Tsunade smiled as she fondly looked at the stone monstrosity. "Yeah, and the inside is even bigger. You'd never believe what they have in there. A swimming pool/grotto, a whole wing with art and artifacts that are simply fantastic, a state of the art lab, a dining hall, and I forget the other smaller details. It's been a while since last I was there."

Sakura turned to Tsunade. "You came here? With Mom? I thought you to studied back home, in Kiri."

Tsunade shook her head. "Well, we did go to school in Kiri, but before we moved to Kiri, we went to school here. Konoha Academy is one of the best schools to go to if you want to learn how to come into your powers, or how to control them. They'll teach you to tap into your power, look inside yourself…. All that jazz, you know?"

Sakura looked at the large building. "What kind of people go to the school Aunt Tsunade?"

"Oh, you know….Werewolves, kitsune, sprites, elves, nymphs, vampires, and of course, witches, like you. It fronts as a private school so that it can be selective about what students come in, and which stay out. It's a safe place for special kids like you, where you can learn practical life stuff, as well as practical magic skills and control."

Sakura sighed. "How am I going to learn practical magic skills when I don't have any magic? I'm seventeen and I haven't felt that spark that Mom keeps talking about. That little flame of power that's all my own, that I alone wield. Hell, most witches get their powers when they hit puberty. That was 5 years ago for me Aunt Tsunade. Maybe the gift skipped, maybe I don't have it."

Tsunade looked at Sakura with a look of surprise. "Sakura! There is no possible way that the gift has skipped you. After all, you are the witch of legend, the Cherry Blossom Witch."


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer**: I do not own the characters of _Naruto_, nor do I own the rights to the anime or manga in which the characters are derived. I do however own this story, since I am the one who wrote it. So keep your hands off!!! Thank you.

* * *

**Chapter 4**

Sakura groaned, leaning her head back in her chair. "Not the prophecy again. Just because I match the girl being described, doesn't mean that I am her. I mean, there could be another girl, or girls, that have pink hair and green eyes, you know. Besides, doesn't the prophecy state that the Cherry Blossom Witch is supposed to have, like, awesome powers that no one has seen the likes of before? I can't even light a candle without a match! How come people are always telling me that I'm the Cherry Blossom Witch?"

Tsunade looked at her niece sadly. "Sakura, your powers will come to you. You're just a late bloomer, all you need is time. You said it yourself, the Cherry Blossom Witch is supposed to have powers beyond imagination. What do you think would happen if those powers had come to you when you were a twelve year old child? Imagine how much more ready you are for them at seventeen."

"Oh yeah? How much more ready will I be when I'm twenty, or forty, or sixty?" Sakura gave out a frustrated sigh. "Aunt Tsunade, I don't think that they're going to come to me at all."

Tsunade looked at her niece solemnly and said, "That's not what Sai thought."

"Sai was my fault. I let him talk me into it; I let him make me believe that I was the witch of prophecy. I let him trick me." Sakura said softly, putting her hands over her face in shame.

Tsunade leaned over, and took Sakura's hands away from her face. "Sakura, it was not your fault. It was no one's fault save Sai's. He used you, thinking that he could take your power for himself. All that matters is that you're safe, and Sai got what he deserved."

Sakura winced as she flashed back to the night when Sai had tried to take her power.

********

She and Sai had been seeing each other for almost six months, and since their anniversary was coming up, Sai had asked her to go out on a special date with him. She had accepted, of course, because whatever it was, she was sure that it was going to be something that she would never forget. Ever since they started going out, Sai had been attentive, loving, kind; the perfect boyfriend. Boy, had she been wrong.

The day of their anniversary, they had driven all the way to the town of Ame, in Rain Country. It had taken most of the day, and by the time they had gotten to the famous Ame Bluffs, Sakura was dead tired. The Ame Bluffs was where these huge bluffs overlooked a deep ravine, where it is said that a great battle took place. They arrived just before sunset, and Sai had taken her up right to the edge of the bluffs to have a picnic. They ate, talked, kissed, the usual. It wasn't until Sakura's vision got blurry, and her speech started getting slurred, that she realized that something was wrong. She tried to reach for Sai, but he pushed her down to the ground and took out a knife that he had hidden on his person. He started to chant in a strange tongue, the language of magic. Sakura tried to struggle, but with the drugs that Sai had slipped her while she was eating, her attempts were fruitless. While Sai chanted, he used the knife to give her a shallow cut on the inside of her arm. He used her blood to draw characters on his face and hands. Then he raised his arms into the air, his head thrown back, and shouted to the heavens in the magical tongue, as the last rays of light disappeared behind the horizon.

Suddenly, everything went dark, and Sakura felt as if something inside her was being ripped out of her. She screamed, and tried to get away. Sai held her down, his eyes, once so gentle, were now hard and cold. Looking into those eyes, Sakura knew that there was no chance for her. She was going to die.

Sai put a hand on her chest, and said something she didn't understand. The ripping feeling inside her intensified and she screamed louder. It was so painful; she thought that if Sai didn't kill her first, the pain would certainly do the trick.

Than, suddenly, something inside Sakura cracked and she fainted into oblivion. When she woke up, she found herself lying on the ground, still on the bluffs. She slowly sat up, wondering what the hell was going on, since she had been certain she was going to die. It was then that she saw Sai's body, lying at least ten feet away from her. She crawled over to him, and when she got closer, she noticed that he wasn't breathing, and his eyes were open and blank. She sat back, feeling tears run down her face, as she looked upon the dead body of the boy that she thought she had loved. She cried for hours, just sitting there with nothing but a corpse for company.

It was later, long after her tears had dried up; that Sakura made her way back to town, and called her parents to tell them what happened. Her parents decided than and there that Sakura needed to tap into her powers so that she could defend herself if something like this were to ever happen again. So they made arrangements with her Aunt Tsunade, and then they put her on a plane to Konoha, where she would learn how to be a witch, where she could be safe, where she could be around people like herself.

********

Sakura looked at her aunt with a serious expression and asked, "How do you know that the same thing won't happen here? Am I really safer in a school with power hungry vampires, werewolves and God knows what else? How am I supposed to feel safe in there Aunt Tsunade? How do I shield myself from them?"

Tsunade dug into her coat pocket, and pulled out a white gold ring with a round, amethyst jewel on it. "You can shield yourself with this. I got it for you when your parents and I made the arrangements for you to live with me. I've anchored a glamour spell on it, so that you won't look like the Cherry Blossom Witch. I thought that it would be safer for you, and that it would give you chance at making friends who like you for you, and not for powers. It will hide your most noticeable feature, which would be your hair. I made it so that your hair will look black instead of pink. With your green eyes and creamy complexion, I figured that you could pull it off. I can always change it if you want though."

Sakura stared at her aunt, and at the ring. She gingerly took it from Tsunade, and held it between her fingers. She rubbed her thumb along the band and watched as the stone caught the light and sparkled. She looked up at her aunt, her eyes tearing up. "Aunt Tsunade…."

Tsunade smiled at Sakura, and placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. "I'll always be here for you Sakura. Never forget that. You're my niece, and I love you more than anything…." Tsunade sniffed and quickly wiped at her eyes. "Man, it's dusty in here. My allergies are acting up. Well, we've seen the school, and the town. How about we go home and relax. Big day tomorrow," she said as she started the car back up.

Sakura nodded, and sat back in her seat, wiping at her eyes. She still had the ring in her hand, and she looked at it the whole trip back home.

While Tsunade made dinner, Sakura went to the bathroom to try out the ring. She stood in front of the mirror, ring in hand. She took a deep breath and slipped the ring on her finger. The change in her appearance wasn't instant, she noticed. It was more like…water was being pored over her. Black colored water. Her hair was slowly turning back from the top of her head down. It took a few minutes for her shoulder length locks to turn color completely. She turned her head from side to side, checked her roots, and flipped her hair over and under to make sure that the glamour covered her head completely, which it did. She noticed that it also changed the color of her eyebrows, which used to be a rose color. Now they were jet black, and Sakura liked the effect that it had on her face because it mad her emerald eyes very striking.

She took off the ring, and watched as her hair changed back in reverse. It started at the tips of her hair, than worked its way back up to the top of her head. Her eyebrows were back to normal too. She checked her watch, and say that the change happened over the course of two minutes. She placed it on her desk and looked at it for a minute, smiling. She felt a lot more confident now that she had it, and she wouldn't be able to thank Tsunade enough for it. She just knew that she would be OK when she would go to school in the morning. She just knew.


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer**: I do not own the characters of _Naruto_, nor do I own the rights to the anime or manga in which the characters are derived. I do however own this story, since I am the one who wrote it. So keep your hands off!!! Thank you.

* * *

**Chapter 5**

Sakura was nervous. She fidgeted in the passenger seat as her aunt pulled up to the curb in front of Konoha Academy.

"Sakura? Hey, don't be so nervous. You'll be fine. You should be excited! Think about it, a whole school filled with kids like yourself! This is a place where you don't have to hide what you are from your peers….well, except for the obvious, that is."

Sakura glanced at her aunt, her eyes a little wary. "I don't think this was such a good idea after all Aunt Tsunade. What if someone puts two and two together and it gets out that I'm the Cherry Blossom Witch?"

Tsunade snorted. "With that hair, no one is even gonna come close to guessing who you really are. And as long as you keep that ring on your finger like I told you to, no one is ever going to guess."

Sakura sighed and reached up to touch a strand of jet black hair. She had pulled it up into a pony tail, leaving her bangs to fall over her forehead. She was wearing a navy blue sweater and a pair of distressed jeans with red Converse sneakers. Konoha Academy didn't have a set uniform, so the students could pretty much wear whatever they wanted, despite the fact that it was a private school. She had also put on some gray eyeliner, and smudged it to give her eyes a smoky look, which made them stand out from her face even more. Even if she was as nervous as hell, she didn't see any reason not to make a good first impression.

Sakura unbuckled her seat belt, and put her hand on the door. She looked back at her Aunt on last time.

Tsunade smiled at her and gave her a thumbs up. "Kick some ass princess!"

Sakura smiled, opened the door and stepped out. She closed the door and waved goodbye to her aunt as she watched her drive away. Than she turned to face the school, took a deep breath and started walking.

Sakura kept her eyes forward as she walked up the cement path to the double door entrance. She could feel other students turn and look at her as she walked past them, but she didn't turn to look at them, just in case she lost her nerve. She entered through the double doors, and stopped short, gapping at the sight before her.

The interior of the school wasn't at all alike her old school. Not at all. The entrance ceiling must have extended all the way up to the roof. She could plainly see the three levels of the building before her, with staircases on each side, climbing up to the third floor. The floor beneath her feet was black marble with veins of silver running through the stone. There was an elegant fountain with stone fish leaping from the clear water, and a lovely stone mermaid that had been carved out so well; she looked as if she could come alive at any moment. There were tables and chairs were students were sitting and talking. It was all so elegant, and pristine, and….. and Sakura felt as if she was going to be sick.

A glass door reading '_Office_' caught her eye on the left side of the room. She took a another deep breath to calm her nerves, and walked toward the door.

She gently pushed open the door, and walked up to the counter that separated the student waiting area from the rest of the office. She was greeted by a young man with brown hair with a high pony tail, and a large scar that ran across his nose, from cheek to cheek. He gave her a friendly smile and said, "Hello there. Can I help you with something miss?"

Sakura smiled back at him and leaned against the counter. "Yes, I'm a new student here and I haven't gotten a schedule or anything, so I was wondering where I go for that."

The man smiled at her again before sitting down at his computer. "Sure thing miss. I can print out your schedule for you. What's your name?"

"Sakura Haruno," Sakura replied.

The man typed her name in. "Ah there you are. And you're a witch I see. That means that you'll be on the 2nd floor, west wing. That's the magic wing, and it will be where you will have your magical lessons. The first half of the day is for your personal studies, or witch oriented studies. The other half of the day, which starts after lunch, will be dedicated to the mundane studies that all high school students participate in. Those classes will be held on the ground floor, also in the west wing." He clicked something on the screen, and the printer on the other end of the desk gave a little groan as it started up. He got up and retrieved the paper that the printer had just printed out. He handed Sakura the paper, which she took with a shy smile.

"If you have any further questions, or need anything at all, please feel free to come and see me. My name is Iruka Umino, and I'm here to help." He smiled and reached out his hand.

Sakura smiled back at him, and took his hand, shaking it gently. "It's very nice to meet you Iruka-san. Thank you very much for all your help." She let go of his hand, and started to walk out the door.

"Have a nice day Sakura-chan, and welcome to Konoha Academy."

Sakura gave Iruka a smile goodbye and walked out the door. She looked at the piece of paper and saw that she would be in hall 3 on the second floor. Above her, a bell tolled, and she saw students start to get up and head to class.

She made her way up the stairs to the second floor, and walked through the big oak doors that separated the classes from the front of the school. Before her stretched a long hallway, with large painting on the walls, and statues standing along the sides.

She walked along the hallway, looking at the paintings as she did so. There was one depicting a witch burning, which she found kind of gross, since the artist had decided to paint the witch as half burned already. Another one was a painting of a woman and her child. She noticed that the child had a pair of stubby horns on its head, and the woman had patches of scales on her arms and face. The mother had her arms held out to the child as it ran to her, both of their faces happy and content. Sakura smiled at the painting, feeling a little more light hearted than before.

Sakura made her way down to the end of the hall, where it opened up to two more hallways, one going to the left and one to the right. She panicked for a second; not knowing which way was west or east. But a little plaque to the left caught her eyes.

She stepped closer and saw that it read, 'Magic Wing.' She sighed with relief, and out of curiosity, went to check what the other one said. She walked over to it and saw that it read, 'Anthropomorphic Wing.'

Sakura furrowed her brow at the word. "Anthropomorphic…?" Sakura thought for a minute, than came to the realization that it must be the wing were the werewolves, kitsune and other animal related creatures took their classes.

Happy with her conclusion, she walked down the west wing, and saw that there were huge doors on both sides of the halls. There were two on her right and two other on her left, both sets fifteen feet apart from the neighboring door. Plaques hung just to the side of each entry way. The found the plaque that read 'Hall 3' beside the second door to the right. She stood in front of the large wooden doors, her heart racing as she reached out to grasp the handle. She took it in her sweaty hand, wincing at the feel of the cold metal. She counted to five, and opened the door to her classroom.


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer**: I do not own the characters of _Naruto_, nor do I own the rights to the anime or manga in which the characters are derived. I do however own this story, since I am the one who wrote it. So keep your hands off!!! Thank you.

* * *

**Chapter 6**

_Wow_. That was the only word that Sakura could think of as she walked into what would be her classroom for the next semester.

The hall actually looked like an old dancing hall, with painting of prancing couples along the walls. There were also some garden scenes on the walls, and if Sakura looked closely, she could make out tiny faces and bodies hidden in the foliage of the leaves and the petals of flowers.

It was a beautiful room, that was for sure, and spacious as well. There was a large desk that she guessed was for the teacher, and about ten smaller ones for the students. Sakura placed her bag on the desk furthest to the side. No one was in class yet, which she found odd since the bell had rung.

Suddenly, she heard another bell toll. "Must be the warning bell...," she said to herself.

She decided to sit and wait for her other classmates and teacher. Sure enough, a few minutes ticked by and the large doors opened to a group of girls who made their way into the hall.

Sakura turned in her seat to look back at them. There one with blue eyes and blond hair which she had tied up in a high pony tail, a red headed girl who had a dark scowl on her face, a couple of brunettes who looked to be following the red headed girl. They all gave her a passing glance before sitting their seats, a couple of desks away from hers.

Feeling rejected, Sakura turned to the front of the class again, silent.

A few seconds later, the doors opened again, and a woman with purple hair walked in. She walked up to the front of the class, and stood next to the desk. She surveyed the girls one by one.

Sakura felt a little intimidated when the teachers eyes fell to her. She self-consciously raised her hand to touch her hair, worried that the woman could see through her aunt's glamour. But the woman turned her eyes away, apparently seeing nothing out the ordinary. Sakura breathed a sigh of relief.

"Good morning class. As some of you already know, I am Anko Mitarashi, and I will be your magic teacher for this semester. Some of you already have access to your power already, but I know that some of you do not." She picked up a clipboard and read off of it. "For example, we have a new student with us this year….. Sakura Haruno. Which one of you is Sakura Haruno?"

Sakura raised her hand shyly. Anko glanced at her, than looked back at the paper. "It says here that you have not tapped into your power yet, is that right?"

Sakura blushed. "Yes," she squeaked, embarrassed.

Some of the other girls smirked and giggled. The red headed one gave out a loud snort. "What a loser," she laughed. Some of the other girls laughed with her, except for the blond one, to which she replied, "Shut up Tayuya. You didn't get your powers until a couple of months ago, so I wouldn't be talking."

The girl called Tayuya glared at the blond with a gaze that, if able, could have killed. The blond just glared back defiantly.

Anko clapped her hands to get everyone's attention. "All right, all right. Let's not get on the wrong foot right the beginning of the semester. But Ino's right Tayuya, shut up." Tayuya pouted at this and slumped in her seat. The blond named Ino smirked, and catching Sakura looking at her, winked in a friendly manner. Sakura smiled back shyly, and than turned her attention back to Anko.

Anko welcomed Sakura to the class and the school, and than went on to what they would be doing for that semester. For the first quarter, they would be working on meditation. Anko said that this was to help them get in touch with their powers more, and make them more familiar with themselves. She also commented to Sakura that it would be helpful for her especially, so that she could have a chance to try to find that little spark of magic inside of her.

Sakura was grateful to Anko for starting off the semester with meditation. She figured that meditation would be a lot easier than if they had started off actually using magic. This way, she could actually participate in the class, instead of having to sit back and watch.

"Alright girls, since there are about 8 of you in the class, we're going to pair up into buddies. The person that you will pair up with will be your partner for the rest of the semester. For this quarter, they will be your anchor when you meditate. They will make sure that you do not have any…accidents. Now, pair up!"

The girls hurriedly paired up with each other. Sakura glanced at them, looking like a lost puppy, wondering which one would get stuck with her, the new kid.

She was surprised when the blonde girl, Ino, got up from her seat to come and sit next to her. She gave her a friendly smile and stuck out her hand. "Hi. I'm Ino Yamanaka; it's nice to meet you."

Sakura grasped her hand and smiled in return. "Hello, I'm Sakura Haruno. It's nice to meet you too."

Ino smiled again, letting go of her hand. "So, you're new huh? Where are you from?"

"A town called Kiri, in Water County," Sakura replied.

Ino's eyes widened. "Wow, that's a long way away. Why did you move here?"

Sakura brushed some black hair from her eyes before answering. "Um, well, I wasn't really learning anything there. Water County isn't that big, and neither is Kiri. There was no magic school that I could go to, so I was going to a normal highschool with normal kids, and taking magic lessons with my mom. But I wasn't getting anywhere with my magic, and since my aunt lives here, we though it was best if I moved in with her so that I could come here."

Ino nodded in understanding. "That makes sense. Konoha Academy is supposed to be the best in magic studies and such. Well, it's nice to have another witch in class. There's not a lot of us you know. With you, there are only 8 sophomore witches in the whole school. The freshmen take class in Hall 1, juniors are in Hall 2, and seniors are in Hall 4. That's how they do it here. There are four halls in each wing, one for each grade. And there are four wings to compensate for the 4 largest demographics in the magical community. There's a hall for the magic users, that's us, then there's one for the shape shifters, like werewolves and kitsune. They're right next door actually, in the anthropomorphic wing. There's the Ethereal Wing for the vampires, elves and nymphs, because you know, their so beautiful and crap. And than the last one is called, well the students call it the Monster Wing because that's the wing for the kids that don't look human. Like demons, mermaids, and brownies." She finished with a smile.

Sakura felt a little dizzy after processing all that information. "Wow. And all those creatures, err, people come to this school?"

Ino nodded, a proud little smile on her face. "Yeah, well, I pretty much know about everything that goes on in the school. So if you need to find something out about anything or anyone, just come and ask me OK?"

Sakura and Ino talked for the rest of the class in hushed tones as Anko continued the lesson.

The class went on until eleven o'clock, in which time they had covered a brief history of meditation, as well as a couple of approaches towards meditation. As Anko finished up the lesson on the Buddhist approach, the bell tolled and echoed through the hall.

"Alright class, have a nice lunch. And remember to read the chapter that I assigned by tomorrow, we'll be reviewing it when you get to class in the morning."

The students said good bye, and headed out the door. Ino walked with Sakura, both of them still talking. Suddenly, Tayuya bumped into Sakura from behind, making her run into the door frame and drop all of her books.

Sakura dropped to the ground to gather up her books as Tayuya walked past, laughing. Ino bent down to help her, her face pulled into an angry expression. "God, Tayuya is such a bitch!" She handed Sakura a couple of papers as they stood up. "Don't let her get to you though Sakura, she's all bark and no bite."

Sakura smiled gratefully at Ino as she took the papers from her. She walked with Ino down the hall and out the doors that led to the foyer. They walked down the staircase and headed for the ground floor door, where the normal classes were held.

"Come on Sakura. Let's put our stuff in our lockers and than head to the dining hall for lunch."

Sakura stopped, looking confused. "Lockers?"

Ino looked back at her surprised. "Don't you have a locker assignment?"

Sakura shook her head. "I don't think so."

"Did you get a piece of paper with your schedule on it?"

Sakura nodded.

"Well, than your locker number should be on it. Take a look."

Sakura shifted her books, reached into her pocket and pulled out the piece of paper with her schedule on it. Ino took it from her and opened it up. She gave a triumphant grin as she pointed to the corner of the page. "See, right there. It says here that your locker number is 1095. Hey, that's a few lockers down from mine. Come on, I'll show you."

Ino lead her through the large doors, and Sakura gasped as she stepped into a huge, and she meant HUGE, hallway with rows and rows of lockers along the walls. She followed Ino down the hall, dodging students who were heading to the dining hall. They passed some similar doors, like the ones upstairs, that were no doubt where the normal classes took place. They walked all the way down, until they had nearly reached the dining hall, and than they stopped.

Sakura looked over some kids heads to peek at the dining hall, but she couldn't see anything.

"Sakura! Over here," Ino called.

Sakura turned to look at her, and saw that she was standing beside a locker. She waved her over and Sakura walked over to her.

"This is your locker. There's nothing magic about them, you just have a simple lock. Although, the locks are protected with a charm that only enables you to open it, to prevent theft, you know?" Ino said.

Sakura opened the locker with the combination that she received on her schedule. After putting her things inside, and taking her lunch from her back pack, she closed her locker and together with Ino, made her way into the dining hall.


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer**: I do not own the characters of _Naruto_, nor do I own the rights to the anime or manga in which the characters are derived. I do however own this story, since I am the one who wrote it. So keep your hands off!!! Thank you.

* * *

**Chapter 7**

Sakura lost track of how many times she had been stunned by some of the things in Konoha Academy. First, the foyer, than the hall with the paintings, than her classroom, than the locker hall, and now, the dining hall.

Sakura stood in the entrance to the dining hall with Ino, looking around with wide eyes. There were tables everywhere, and at least several hundred students were seated and having lunch. Ino started to walk to the side of the room, where Sakura saw that lunch was served buffet style. Trays of food sat under heating lamps as the students grabbed or scooped what they wanted as they passed by. She waited with Ino in line as Ino got a plate and grabbed some food. After Ino had filled her plate, they tried to find a table to sit at.

Ino turned her head this way and that, as if she was looking for someone. Something caught her eye and she gestured for Sakura to follow her through the crowd. They weaved through a mass of students and chairs, until they finally reached a table where a couple of girls were sitting.

Ino took a seat, and pulled out a chair for Sakura, motioning her to sit down. Sakura sat down, and placed her lunch bag on the table.

"Girls," Ino started, "This is Sakura Haruno. She's new here, so why don't we make her feel welcome. Sakura, these are some of my friends." She pointed to a pretty girl with long, dark hair, and an amazing pair of lavender eyes. Sakura also noticed that the girl had pointy ears. "Sakura, this is Hinata Hyuuga, she's an Elf from Tea County. She's very shy, but she's very sweet and caring."

The dark haired girl named Hinata smiled shyly and raised her hand in greeting. Sakura smiled back at her and nodded hello.

Ino moved to the next girl sitting beside Hinata, who had her dirty blonde hair pulled back into 4 spiky pony tails. In her hands, she has holding one of those metal water bottles, and had no food in front of her, which Sakura found odd. The girls green blue eyes shifted up to meet Sakura's gaze and Sakura had to suppress the shiver that was currently running up her spine.

"This is Temari. She's a year older than us, and she's a vampire. She's pretty cool once you get past the whole creepy factor. Don't worry about that shiver you just got." Sakura looked at her sharply, wondering how Ino could have known that she had just gotten a shiver. Ino continued, "I shivered when I met her. It's this thing about vampires, you see. We can't use magic against them because their bodies sort of reject it. That's why if you ever get to close to one, you shiver, because that's your body telling you're magic is being rejected." Ino said smiling at Temari.

Temari smiled back at Ino, than flashed a smile at Sakura. "Hi there, it's nice to meet you Sakura."

Sakura smiled back at Temari politely, and tried not to lose her cool. _Oh God, oh God!!! What if she can see me? What if she already knows? _Sakura started to sweat, casting nervous looks at Temari. _I have got to find out!_

"Um, Temari-san? May I ask you a question?" Sakura said.

Temari looked up from her bottle, eyebrows quirked. "Yes of course. What's your question Sakura?"

Sakura took a deep breath to calm the racing of her heart. "Well, um, I was just wondering if you were immune to all magic. I mean, is there no spell that you can't deflect or see through, or something?"

Temari thought for a minute, nursing her bottle. Than she answered, "We aren't immune to everything, just spells that are directed at us. Say for example, if Ino were to cast a spell on me to set my hair on fire, it wouldn't work. But if she cast a spell on herself to protect against fire, and I tried to set her on fire, I wouldn't be able to because she's protecting herself. If there's a spell on a certain object or person, I am not able to dispel it unless it was directed towards me." She paused to take a sip from her water bottle. "At least, that's the best way that I can explain it."

Sakura gave an inward sigh of relief. _So Temari wasn't able to see through the glamour, thank God._ Temari took another sip from her bottle, and as Sakura watched her, she felt the urge to ask what was in it.

Temari saw Sakura eyeing her bottle and smiled. "It's blood." Sakura jerked her eyes to Temari, caught off guard. Temari chuckled. "You were wondering what was inside right? It's blood. My family owns a chain of blood banks, so we don't have to kill people whenever we get hungry. It's a lot safer and a lot more economical. We also carry it in these earth friendly water bottles because 1) you can't see what's inside and 2) it keeps the blood at a stable temperature for a longer period of time."

"That's… pretty cool actually." Sakura said smiling.

The four girls talked for the next ten minutes until they were interrupted by a gasp from Ino.

Sakura looked over at her new friend, wondering what had made her react like that.

"Ino, what's wrong?" Sakura asked, but Ino wasn't paying attention to her. Her eyes were fixed on something near the dining hall entrance.

Sakura followed Ino's eyes and felt her own eyes widen at the sight that had captured Ino. In fact, Sakura noticed that the whole dining hall had fallen into a sort of hush.

Four boys, probably not much older than Sakura herself, stood in the entrance of the dining hall. That is, four of the most attractive boys that Sakura had ever seen, stood in the entrance of the dining hall.

Sakura looked over at Ino and nudged her to get her attention. "Ino, who are they?"

Ino answered her without taking her eyes off of the boys. "Those, my dear Sakura are the most popular, most dangerous, hottest boys ever to grace the halls of Konoha Academy. God, it's a crime to be that good looking. Look," she said, pointing to the tall blonde boy with the wicked grin, "That's Naruto Uzumaki. He comes from one of the most powerful kitsune clans in the area. He's really energetic, determined and he's really nice to everyone he meets. Although, he likes a good prank every now and again. He's also Hinata's crush."

Sakura looked over at Hinata. She was blushing like mad, and was gazing shyly at Naruto from beneath her eyelashes. Sakura grinned at this, and looked back at Naruto, sizing up his bright blue eyes, his broad shoulders, and…. whisker tattoos? Well, that was different, but it somehow worked for him. Sakura thought that he was pretty good looking and was happy for Hinata. She just hoped that Hinata would get to have a relationship with him in the future.

Ino pointed the next guy. He was tan, with shaggy hair and similar tattoos on his cheeks like Naruto, except his were red triangles. "That's Kiba Inuzuka. He's a dog demon. He's crude and rough, but when he's with a dog, he absolutely loses his tough guy exterior. It makes all the girls melt when he starts playing with a puppy. Seriously, it's the cutest thing you'll ever see."

Sakura giggled. The Kiba guy did look a bit mean, but after what Ino told her, she decided that anyone who loved dogs was OK in her book.

Ino continued, "The one with the light eyes and long brown hair? That's Hinata cousin, Neji Hyuuga. He's super smart and super cold. I've never seen him laugh or crack a smile, ever. He's the total opposite of our sweet little Hinata."

Finally she pointed to the last boy with a lovey-dovey look in her eyes. "And that, is the most popular, smart, sexy, tough and gorgeous one of them all. Sasuke Uchiha," she sighed dreamily. "He's the heir to the _countries_ most powerful werewolf clan. His birthday is July 23rd, his blood type is AB, he's exactly 168 centimeters tall, and his favorite type of food is tomatoes."

Sakura's eyes widened as Ino let out all this information in one dreamy sigh. She glanced over at Temari, who lowered her bottle to smile apologetically. "Ino's a little….obsessed with him. In fact, a lot of girls are. He's the top guy in the school, but not just because of his looks alone. He has top grades, a bad boy reputation and he's one of the best fighters around. He's not someone that you want to mess with."

Sakura looked at Sasuke, and all she could see was his resemblance to Sai. He had black hair that spiked up in the back of his head, giving him a 'just got out of bed' look. Sai had had black hair, but Sai had kept it short, and he never spiked it. Sasuke had hard, black eyes; Sai's eyes were black as well. They both had fair skin, they were close to the same height, they had similar body types, except that she could tell that Sasuke was a bit more muscular than Sai was. They were different in some ways, but Sakura could still see a resemblance between him and Sai.

Sakura looked away and stared at her food. Her chest hurt a bit from the memories of Sai that Sasuke had brought on. She decided to stay away from Sasuke Uchiha. Being near him would only cause her pain.

After the four boys had all grabbed a plate of food and sat down at a table, conversation started back up in the dining hall. Sakura started to eat her lunch again, keeping her head down as she ate.

Beside her, Ino gave another sigh, her eyes still trained on Sasuke. "Isn't he just fantastic?"

Sakura didn't answer. She finished her lunch and spent the rest of the hour chatting with Temari and Hinata. After a while, Ino also joined in the conversation. After the hour was up, a bell tolled throughout the dining hall. Sakura and the others got up and made their way to their lockers. She waved goodbye to Temari, since she would have different classes than Sakura, Ino and Hinata. Sakura and the other two girls grabbed their books, than headed to class.


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer**: I do not own the characters of _Naruto_, nor do I own the rights to the anime or manga in which the characters are derived. I do however own this story, since I am the one who wrote it. So keep your hands off!!! Thank you.

**Authors Notes**: I'd like to thank everyone who have posted reviews. Thank you so much! I'm really happy that so many people are enjoying this story, and I hope that I can keep it up with you expectations in the future. Thanks again and enjoy!

* * *

**Chapter 8**

Sakura followed Ino and Hinata down the hallway and through the doors to her left. They entered another hallway, and walked all the way down until they reached another set of doors that went to the left again.

The class room that they entered was just as big as Sakura's first class, except that there were many more seats in this one. Sakura, Ino and Hinata all grabbed seats next to each other in the middle of the room. Students piled into desks around them as the minutes ticked by.

From the corner of her eye, Sakura saw a flash of red hair. Turning her head slightly in the direction of the flash, she grimaced when she saw Tayuya seated with her followers, a few desks behind her. Tayuya caught Sakura looking at her, and scowled in her direction. Sakura quickly turned her sight back towards the front of the class room, not wanting any more trouble from Tayuya.

A few seconds later, there was a flurry of excited twitters behind her, and she turned her head again to see what the fuss was about.

Sasuke, Naruto and Kiba had just entered the room. They walked past the group of twittering girls to take seats just a few desks to the left of Sakura's desk.

Sakura watched them sit down, than turned her head back around a second time, trying to avoid looking at the Sai look-a-like.

After all the students were seated, an old man with long white shaggy hair walked in. He carried a pile of books under his arm, and a mug in the other. He also had a pair of red stripes tattooed down his face. _People around here must really like tattoos_, Sakura thought to herself.

The old man put his pile of books down on the desk in front of the class, and than turned to address the students. His gaze swiftly went over the large class that must have consisted of at least 200 teenagers. He grunted, than started to take a sip from his mug, when a loud voice rung out, "Hey Jiraiya pervert!! You gonna start the class or what you old fart?!"

The old man, Jiraiya, sputtered and glared at the offending student. "Naruto! I told you never to call me that you little idiot!"

Sakura glanced over her shoulder at the blond boy, who at present had a big grin on his face. "Call you what? A pervert or an old fart?"

"The old fart one! I'm not that old." Jiraiya stated glumly.

Naruto laughed. "All right Jiraiya-pervert. I'll pretend that you're not that old, just because you're my favorite teacher and all."

Jiraiya laughed loudly at Naruto's comment before settling down and addressing the other students. "Anyway, welcome to all! I am Jiraiya. Just Jiraiya, you need not put sensei or san on the end of it. I will be teaching you English, history, math, and science. All of the curriculum in this class will be general knowledge, since the main focus in this school is to focus on your own personal…skills. Now, I see many familiar faces this semester, but I also see a couple of new ones."

Sakura hunched over her desk, trying to make herself as small as possible so that Jiraiya would look her over.

"Ah yes, the girl that all hunched up. You're new aren't you? Why don't you come up and introduce yourself to the class? We don't get many new students here at Konoha Academy everyday you know?"

_Damn_, Sakura thought as she slowly stood up, her cheeks pink from embarrassment. She meekly waved to the other students in the class.

"Hello. My name is Sakura Haruno. I'm seventeen years old, and I moved here from a town called Kiri in Water Country. Um, I like dogs, eating, sleeping and soccer. That's it."

Sakura started to sit back down when Jiraiya spoke up. "And what are you my dear Sakura-chan?"

Sakura looked up at Jiraiya, a bit panicked at first, than she realized that he just wanted to know what she came to study for. "Oh, I'm a… I'm a witch."

Jiraiya eyes widened a fraction. "Oh really? What's your specialty than? Are you an elemental witch, a seer, or what?"

Sakura felt her face heat up more. "I, uh, I don't know. I haven't come into my powers yet," she said quietly.

Jiraiya face fell in disappointment. "Oh, well, I hope that you come into them soon. I love to know what everyone's special gift is. Could give me some ideas for a new book…"

All the students around Sakura groaned. Naruto was the loudest of them all. "Please don't go on about your books Jiraiya-pervert! We could care less."

Jiraiya tsked at Naruto. "Naruto, how can you say that? How can you say that when my books have their own fan site! Come Come Paradise is one of the best selling series now-a-days! Why, I'll have you know…."

While Jiraiya went off gloating about his writing prowess, Sakura turned to Ino and asked, "Jiraiya is a writer?"

Ino nodded. "Yup. He's a writer all right, although what he writes is steered toward more… adult audiences." She giggled. "It's like porn, but in book form. He's actually given us assignments in the past where we have to read one of his books, than do an oral report on it. But that's only for the students that misbehave in his class, cause he enjoys embarrassing them. Mostly it's Naruto."

Sakura turned her eyes back to Jiraiya, where he was still going on about how his writing style was opening new paths for young writers. She sweatdropped as she thought about what kind of semester she was going to have with this guy. Well, at least it would be interesting.

As Sakura was watching Naruto and Jiraiya hash it out about his books and their value to society, she didn't notice the pair of black eyes that were trained on her form.


	9. Chapter 9

**Disclaimer**: I do not own the characters of _Naruto_, nor do I own the rights to the anime or manga in which the characters are derived. I do however own this story, since I am the one who wrote it. So keep your hands off!!! Thank you.

* * *

**Chapter 9**

The class dragged on for the rest of the day. They covered English, history, science and were just finishing their math lesson. It was almost time for dismissal, and Sakura never felt more relieved. She stretched her arms above her head and gave Ino a tired smile when she looked over at Sakura.

Ino smiled back and placed a hand on Sakura's shoulder. "I know, that first day is the toughest because you're bombarded with a lot of new information and new people. But don't worry, it'll get better." Ino closed her books and rolled her shoulders. Suddenly she gasped and looked at Sakura excitedly. "Oh my god, I completely forgot! There's a party this Saturday, kind of like a 'Welcome Back to School' thing. Want to go?"

Sakura rubbed the back of her neck and thought about it. She liked Ino, and thought that they could become really good friends in the future, and she was always up for meeting new people. Was a party a good idea though? Would she be able to handle it?

Sakura smiled at Ino and said, "Um, well, I'll ask my aunt if it's OK. She'd have to give me a ride anyway, since I don't have a car. I'll let you know tomorrow, okay?"

Ino's face fell a little, but she recovered her smile quickly. "OK! I hope that you can make it! It's at Sasuke's house this year, and his place is huge!" Sakura blanched at hearing this, but Ino continued, not noticing anything. "Him and his friends kind of rotate from house to house whenever they throw parties, and this time its Sasuke's turn. Oh, it's going to be so much fun."

Sakura laughed nervously. "Yeah."

The bell rang just then, and everyone collected their things and started to leave the class. Sakura walked beside Ino and Hinata. They made their way to their lockers and grabbed their bags and books, and then they made their way outside to the parking lot.

Once outside, Hinata parted ways with them because she drove to school with her cousin. She waved goodbye to them as she walked off. Ino said that she had her own car, so Sakura said that she would walk her to it.

They made their way across the parking lot towards a baby blue Pontiac G6 convertible. Ino threw her stuff in the back seat and opened the driver door. She turned to Sakura before climbing in. "So, you gonna try to make it to the party, right? I'd really like for you to come. Hinata's not going, and Temari has some stuff to do that night, so if you don't come I'll be all alone." She gave Sakura a puppy dog look that just made Sakura laugh. Ino grinned at Sakura, lightly punching her on the arm. "Hey, don't laugh. I haven't practiced that look much."

Sakura smiled at Ino. "I'll try to come, but no promises."

Ino nodded, satisfied. "Alright, as long as you try." She climbed into the driver's seat, and closed the door behind her. She started up the car, and waved at Sakura as she backed out of the parking space. "I'll see you later Sakura!"

Sakura waved back. "See you Ino!" She watched as Ino drove away, and than started walking to the front of the school to wait for her aunt.

Sakura didn't have to wait long. Her aunt pulled up to the front of the school a few minutes after Sakura reached the front. She walked up to the car, and got in the passenger seat. She smiled over at her aunt, and Tsunade smiled back at her. As she pulled out onto the street, she asked, "So, how was your first day?"

Sakura sighed. "Tiring, but interesting. We're starting off the semester with meditating in my magic class. I have to say I'm relieved about that since it gives me the chance to try to catch up with the rest of the students."

Tsunade nodded as she turned onto their street. "And the teachers? How are they?"

Sakura shrugged. "They're ok. I have a woman named Anko for my teacher in the morning, and a guy named Jiraiya for my teacher in the afternoon. He's a writer apparently."

Tsunade snorted at the mention of Jiraiya's name. "Jiraiya? He's still teaching there? He was teaching there when I went to school. Actually, did you know that I'm the inspiration for one of his characters in his books?"

Sakura looked at her aunt in horror. "What?! You have got to be kidding me! They told me that he wrote, like…. adult books!"

Tsunade laughed. "Well, yes he does. What can I say princess? Your aunt is hot!"

Sakura gagged all the way back to the house, with Tsunade laughing in the driver's seat.

Tsunade pulled up to the house, and they both got out of the car. They walked inside, and Sakura headed right upstairs to put her stuff in her room. Once Sakura was in her room, she slipped off her ring, and placed it on her desk. She went to the bathroom and watched as her hair changed back to their usual soft pink color. After her head had turned back completely, she went to bag and started to pull out her homework.

While Tsunade was downstairs doing her thing, Sakura was reading the chapter that Anko had assigned the class. After about two hours of reading and writing down notes, Tsunade called her for dinner from downstairs.

Sakura put her text book down, and walked downstairs to the kitchen. She walked through the doorway of the kitchen, taking in a large breath. The delicious smell of homemade pizza filled her nose.

"Mm, that smells good," Sakura said, sitting down at the dinner table.

Tsunade served Sakura two pieces of pizza and got a plate for herself. Between the both of them, they ate about ¾'s of the pizza. Tsunade wrapped up the leftovers for Sakura, so that she could have them for lunch the next day.

Sakura just sat at the table for a few more minutes, the pizza settling comfortably in her stomach. As she was sitting there, she suddenly remembered about the party that Ino invited her to. She looked over at Tsunade, who was bent over the sink washing the dishes.

Sakura crossed her arms on top of the table and drew patterns on the dark wood, trying to be nonchalant. "Hey Aunt Tsunade…"

Without turning around, Tsunade replied, "What do you want?"

Sakura huffed. "How do you always know when I want something?"

Tsunade grabbed a dish towel and dried her hands. She turned to Sakura, leaning against the counter, smirking. "It's that tone you use. It's slightly whiny and suspiciously sweet at the same time."

Sakura gave her aunt a half hearted glare before reverting to her innocent face. "Aunt Tsunade, I just wanted to ask you something…."

"What?"

Sakura glanced down at her hands. "Well, I just wanted to ask you if I could attend a party this upcoming Saturday with a new friend that I made today."

Sakura looked up at her aunt with pleading eyes. Tsunade just cocked an eyebrow at her. "What friend?"

"Ino Yamanaka. She's a witch too."

"What time is the party?"

"I'm not sure, but I can get the information for you."

"What time will you be home?"

"Twelve o'clock in the latest."

"Where is it?"

"It's at a house."

"Who's?"

"Some guy named Sasuke Uchiha."

She heard her aunt suck in a breath at the mention of Sasuke's name. Sakura looked up to see the grim expression that had settled over her aunt's face.

Tsunade narrowed her eyes. "Sasuke Uchiha? As in the Uchiha clan? One of the most powerful and _dangerous_ werewolf clans in the country? That Sasuke Uchiha? He attends your school?"

Sakura looked at her aunt with wide eyes. "Um, yeah…"

Tsunade swore. Sakura looked at her with surprise. Tsunade walked over and sat at the table, looking at Sakura seriously.

"Sakura, I'm glad that you've made a new friend, and that they want to spend time with you, but I don't think that this party is a good idea. Hell, if I had known that a Uchiha was going to Konoha Academy, I would have never enrolled you there!"

Sakura gave her aunt a confused look. "What do you mean Aunt Tsunade? Why are you so worried about the Uchiha's? Do we have bad history with them or something?"

Tsunade snorted. "Something like that. Sasuke's father, Fugaku, he's a power hungry man, who will do anything to get to the top." She sighed, and gave Sakura a sad look. "When you were born, word of it spread far and wide about the pink haired baby of legend. People were talking about prophecy, and everyone was wondering who was going to be the person that you would give your power to. It wasn't too long before marriage proposals started coming in."

Sakura gapped at her aunt, speechless.

Tsunade continued. "Of course, your parents turned away all suitors and proposals. They didn't want to chain you to someone that you didn't love, and you were just a baby too. They wanted to give you a chance to fall in love, like they did. But some people just wouldn't give up. Fugaku Uchiha was one of them. He was determined to get you engaged to one of his sons. Your parents turned him down again and again, but he wouldn't take no for an answer. Finally, your mother had to use magic against him. She placed a spell on him that wouldn't let him near you. Kind of like a restraining order, but much more effective. It's probably worn off by now, but I can tell you that Fugaku wasn't very happy about it."

To say the least, Sakura was shocked. No one had ever told her about this, not once. She felt disgusted at the thought of being engaged to someone at her age, and thanked her parents for putting her happiness first. She'd have to call them later to thank them.

Tsunade sighed and looked very tired all of a sudden. Sakura's head was still spinning from all the information that Tsunade had just unloaded on her. Sakura glanced over at her aunt and said, "So than what do we do? Do I keep going to school, or do I pull out?"

Tsunade shook her head. "No, we can't pull you out after you just started, it would seem too suspicious. How about this, you can go to the party if you want, although I think you should try to find out whether or not Fugaku will be there. If it happens that he will be there, I think it would be safer for you to stay home. Agreed?"

Sakura nodded. "Yeah, that sounds good, but how will I figure out whether or not he's going to be there? If Ino doesn't know, than I'd have to ask Sasuke himself!"

Tsunade gazed at her seriously. "That's right. If your friend doesn't have the info, than you get it directly from Sasuke, or you can decide to stay home. The choice is yours Sakura." With that said, Tsunade got up, and went back to the sink.

Sakura slumped in her chair. Talk to Sasuke? No, no, she wouldn't, she couldn't! _Oh please Ino, please have the information that I need, please, please, please!!_


	10. Chapter 10

**Disclaimer**: I do not own the characters of _Naruto_, nor do I own the rights to the anime or manga in which the characters are derived. I do however own this story, since I am the one who wrote it. So keep your hands off!!! Thank you.

**Author's Notes**: Hello again. I just wanted all readers to know that there won't be as many updates to this story in the next couple of weeks because of the holidays. I apologize in advance, but I do plan to write during the holidays, just not as much as I have been. I'd also like to wish everyone a Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, and a Happy New Year!

* * *

**Chapter 10**

"I'm sorry Sakura, but I don't know whether the party will be chaperoned or not," Ino said to Sakura.

Sakura's face fell, and she dropped her head on her desk in defeat. _That's it, I'm staying home._

Ino placed a comforting hand on Sakura's shoulder, her eyes shifting over to Anko to see if she had noticed her and Sakura talking during her lecture on dream interpretation. "Sorry Sakura. Did your aunt tell you that you couldn't go unless it was chaperoned? I get that. Some parents, or in your case aunts, don't want their kids at someone's house without adult supervision. And you're new too, so your aunt probably doesn't know anyone around here that she can really trust…"

Sakura lifted her head and looked up at Ino. "No that's not it. It's just that, my aunt would just like to know whether or not it's chaperoned. She'll let me go either way."

Ino perked up at the news. "Really? So what are you being so gloomy for? If you can go, than what's the problem?"

Sakura sighed. "It's just that, my aunt would just feel a lot better if she knew all the details. She's like that. In fact, so is my mom, but they're sisters, so I guess it runs in the family."

Ino looked thoughtful for a moment, than her eyes went wide and she gasped in excitement. "Oh my God, you can ask Sasuke about it! Oh! This is great, a chance to get close to Sasuke!" Ino sighed dreamily.

Sakura grimaced. "Ino, I don't think that's a good idea."

Ino looked at Sakura, her brow furrowed. "What do you mean, not a good idea? Why don't you want to talk to Sasuke!? He's the most popular boy in school, he's super gorgeous, he's smart, rich…Why don't you want to go for him like every other girl in school?"

Sakura fidgeted in her seat, her eyes downcast. "I don't want to talk to him because…. he reminds me of this guy that I used to date. We didn't part on good terms." _That's an understatement_. "It's just that they look really similar, and every time I see him, it brings up bad memories."

Ino looked at her sympathetically. "Oh, I'm so sorry Sakura. I had no idea. We don't have to ask him you know. We can ask Naruto, or Kiba. I'm sure they'll know."

Sakura smiled gratefully at Ino. "Thanks Ino. I really appreciate it."

Ino smiled back at her, than both turned their attention back to Anko, who was currently demonstrating one of the many meditating poses that the students would be using in the future.

After class, Ino and Sakura dropped their things off at their lockers. They waited for Hinata at the entrance, than all three walked in the dining hall together. Ino and Hinata went in line to get their food, while Sakura went to find an empty table for them to sit.

Sakura sat down at a table near the upper corner of the hall and pulled out her lunch from her lunch bag. She took a bite of her cold pizza, her eyes trained on the dining hall entrance.

She didn't know why she wanted to go to the party so much. She could just stay home with Aunt Tsunade and watch movies or something. She was going to tell Ino that she couldn't go to the party that morning, but when she spotted her in class, the words died in her throat. Ino was the first friend that she had made at Konoha Academy, and she didn't want to push her away or disappoint her. So instead, she had told Ino that her aunt wanted some information on the party. Ino had provided her with the house address, offered her a ride to and from the party, and she had written down her cell phone number for Sakura, so that Aunt Tsunade could contact her if there were any problems. The only thing that she hadn't given her was confirmation on whether or not Sasuke's parents would be at the house as well.

Sakura sighed. Suddenly, she heard an excited twitter from the girls around her, and her head snapped up to look at the entrance of the dining hall. Sure enough, Sasuke, Naruto, Kiba and Neji had just walked in and were headed to the buffet line.

Sakura quickly got up and made her way toward them. As she approached their group, she saw Sasuke's black eyes glance toward her, but she ignored him. He wasn't the one that she wanted to talk to. Her eyes were trained on the tall blonde in front of her, who was laughing at something that Kiba had said. She stepped in front of him with a friendly smile on her face.

Naruto stopped in front of her abruptly as she blocked his path. In fact, the whole group stopped. Sakura inwardly swore, but decided to stay, otherwise she would seem like a complete moron.

Naruto seemed surprised at first, but at seeing her smile, he gave her own of his own. "Hi there! Who are you? You're new, right?" He stuck his hand for her to shake. "Hello! I'm Naruto Uzumaki!"

Sakura took his hand and shook it, trying to pretend that the hundreds of eyes that were staring at her didn't affect her in the slightest. Especially the three pairs of eyes that were boring into the back of her head.

"Hi, I'm a new student. My name is Sakura Haruno and it's very nice to meet you Naruto." She dropped his hand, still smiling. "I'm sorry to keep you from lunch, but I had a question that I needed to ask you."

"Sure Sakura-chan! What would you like to ask me? I promise that I will try to answer as best as I can, believe it!"

Sakura chuckled at the blond boy's enthusiasm. "Um, well, I heard that you and your friends were going to throw a party this Saturday, and…."

Naruto eye's widened in excitement at the mention of the party, and he grinned as he said, "And you would like to be invited? No problem Sakura-chan! You are invited. I will personally write your name on the list, although I don't think we have a list, but that doesn't matter cause I'll make a list just for you Sakura-chan!"

Sakura shook her head at Naruto. "No, no, that's not what I wanted to ask. I wanted to ask if the party will be chaperoned."

Naruto's eyes narrowed in thought. He scratched the top of his head. "No, I don't think it's going to be. Teme's parents are out of town. Hey Teme, aren't your parents out of town this weekend? You should really ask Teme, because the party is at his house."

Sakura looked confused for a minute. "Teme?"

Naruto placed his hands on her shoulders and turned her around. She came face to face with Sasuke Uchiha, who was currently scowling at Naruto.

Naruto held out a hand and pointed to Sasuke. "That's Sasuke Uchiha, otherwise known as Teme. He would know whether the party is chaperoned, right Teme?"

"I told you not to call me that Dobe," Sasuke replied.

Sakura noticed right away that Sasuke's voice was deep and smooth. Sakura felt a shiver go down her spine at the sound of it. It wasn't a cold shiver, like the one that she got from Temari, oh no. This was a warm sort of tingle that felt really good. But Sakura didn't like it, didn't like it at all.

When Sasuke's eyes met her own, Sakura had to force herself not to gasp. His eyes seemed to go forever, and the way he was looking at her, it was as if he could see right through her. She had to fight the urge to finger her ring.

Sasuke studied her for a second, as if deciding whether or not it was worth the time answering her. Finally, he said, "My parents are out of town and will not be back until next Wednesday. My older brother will be home however. Does that answer your question….Sakura?"

Sakura just nodded dumbly.

Sasuke's gaze lingered on her for a second more before he turned away and walked off. Neji followed after him, not even looking at Sakura, while Kiba flashed her a fang toothed smile and Naruto clapped her on the back. "Well than Sakura-chan. I guess that I'll see you on Saturday than? Bye!" He walked away and left Sakura standing alone, her body still frozen.

Ino and Hinata rushed up to her. Ino shook Sakura lightly by the shoulders when she got close enough.

"Gods Sakura, I told you to ask Naruto, but I meant that you should have asked him when he was alone! And you talked to Sasuke too! How do you feel? Sakura!?"

Sakura blinked. She turned her emerald colored eyes to look into Ino's aquamarine ones. She placed her hands on Ino arms to steady herself, her breathing a little labored.

_What the hell was that? I couldn't move, couldn't breath, couldn't speak! What did he do to me? _

Ino and Hinata lead Sakura back to the table. Sakura sat down heavily in her seat; her head bent forward, her black hair covering her face. Hinata and Ino sat on either side of her, each with a hand on Sakura shoulder.

"Sakura? Sakura what's wrong? Are you in shock?" Hinata asked in her soft voice.

She heard Ino reply to her left, "I think so. This happened to me when Sasuke first spoke to me. I couldn't speak for three days afterward; I was so shocked that he had actually spoken to me."

Hinata's voice floated across Sakura's head, laced with curiosity. "What did he say to you?"

"He said 'Hey, your blocking my locker. Move.' It was so romantic."

As Sakura sat there with Ino and Hinata voices floating back and forth over her head, she was inwardly panicking.

_Oh God, oh God, what happened? Why did I freeze up? Why? What's wrong with me? This is bad. This is really bad. What if it happens again? Maybe it won't, maybe I'm just overreacting. Yeah, maybe. Or maybe I'm going insane. Oh, Aunt Tsunade!! _


	11. Chapter 11

**Disclaimer**: I do not own the characters of _Naruto_, nor do I own the rights to the anime or manga in which the characters are derived. I do however own this story, since I am the one who wrote it. So keep your hands off!!! Thank you.

**Author's Notes:** Hello everyone! I hope that all of you had a great holiday! I apologize for not updating sooner, but with family visiting and with the holiday craziness, hard to find a couple of hours without interruption. Well, without further ado, let's get this party started up again, shall we? XD

* * *

**Chapter 11**

"Calm down Sakura! Sheesh, it's just a party. You'd think that you've never been to one of these things with the way that you're spazing out!"

Sakura looked over at Ino from the passenger seat of her car. They were currently speeding down the highway towards said party. And said party was being held by one Sasuke Uchiha, which was the reason that Sakura was currently spazing out about.

"I can't help it Ino. I mean, I've been to parties before, but they were always like birthday parties and small gatherings. I've never been to a _party_ party, and I'm just nervous about how it's going to play out is all," she lied smoothly.

Ino glanced over at her, disbelieving. "Nice try Sakura, but I know that ever since that day when Sasuke spoke to you, you've been edgy every time someone mentions him, or talks about him, or when he walks into the room….."

Sakura shifted in her seat, uncomfortable under the watchful eyes of her friend. "No I don't…."

"Sakura!"

"Ok, ok. I admit it. I'm nervous because of Sasuke. He just, he gives me a weird feeling sometimes. I just want to get through this night with as little contact with him as possible."

Ino scoffed as she turned onto an old dirt road. "Fat chance of that honey, especially in that dress we got for you. You're going to kill at the party!"

Sakura looked down at the blood red dress that Ino had let her borrow. It was strapless and hugged all of her curves, leaving little to the imagination. It cut of about mid-thigh, and had black beading on the sides. It made Sakura look at she was twenty-two years old, instead of the seventeen that she actually was. Ino had also made her borrow a pair of four inch black sandals. Needless to say that Sakura felt a little uncomfortable with the whole ensemble, but Ino said that it looked good on her, and Sakura didn't want to hurt her friend's feelings by rejecting her clothes.

Sakura looked out the window, but all she could see were trees. It was a bit eerie, and if some lunatic with a hook for a hand had jumped in front of the car that minute, well, she wouldn't be that surprised.

Ino started to slow down, and Sakura saw the headlights illuminate a brick road that led into the trees. As Ino turned onto the brick road, Sakura assumed that it was the driveway to Sasuke's house and kept her eyes trained just before the hood of the car, watching out for the house, and any hook handed lunatics too, just in case.

In a few minutes, Sakura was able to see lights from between the tree trunks, and after that they started seeing parked cars along the side of the driveway. Ino found a space closer to the house in which they could park and get out.

As Sakura stepped out of the car, she found that she could hear music coming from the house already. She fidgeted with her dress, pulling at it, suddenly feeling sick.

"Ino…Ino, I don't think I can do this."

Ino came around the car and hooked her arm with Sakura's. She patted her hand, and started to walk, pulling Sakura with her. "Sakura, I know that you're nervous and that this isn't really your thing right?"

Sakura nodded mutely.

"Well, just think about this as the first step in becoming a new and improved Sakura! Not that the old one is bad or anything, but you're at a new school and with new people, why not try to reinvent yourself huh? And besides, if you don't like how things go tonight, you can just go back to regular Sakura, right?"

Sakura thought about it. It was a new school with new people, and she was always wearing her glamour ring, so it was like she was someone else already. Why not reinvent herself? It could be fun, and who knows, maybe she'd like her new persona. Yeah, that sounded like a great idea, except…

"But Ino, who do I reinvent myself as? I mean, what kind of person do I want to be? In my old school, I wasn't that popular, I was kind of a geek and I never had that many friends. I had a few really good friends and that was it."

Ino stopped in front of the steps leading to the front door. She crossed her arms and frowned. "Hmm, well you're already dressed for the sexy and dangerous type. How about you be the sexy new girl with a hint of mystery, and when you talk to people, be funny and savvy. That way you'll be a knock out for sure."

Sakura sighed as she tugged on the hem of her dress again. "But what if I can't be savvy, or funny, or sexy or any of those things? What if I act like a total geek like I always do? What if I mess up?"

"Can you dance?"

Sakura blinked. "What?"

"Can you dance?"

"Yes, I can dance fine."

"Great, than the sexy part is handled. In that dress, you can do the sprinkler and still be sexy doing it."

Sakura giggled. "The sprinkler huh?"

Ino smiled and went on. "And you don't have to be the one telling jokes to be funny. You can feed off of other jokes, add to them, and make it your own. You're pretty sarcastic, so that will work in your favor. Dry humor makes you seem savvy as well, so that will work. And for mysterious… Oh, I got it. Just look at people from beneath your eyelashes. That will help with the sexy part too. Alright? Have we got everything?"

Sakura thought, and coming up with nothing else, shook her head.

Ino pumped her fist in the air. "Then let's get this party started!" She stepped back and swept an arm out towards Sakura. "Introducing the new and improved, Sakura Haruno!"

Sakura laughed and gave a little curtsey.

Smiling, Ino offered Sakura her arm. Sakura hooked her arm with Ino's and together, they walked up the stairs and up to the door. Sakura tugged one last time at her dress and smiled at Ino.

"Ready?"

"Ready."

"Alright, here we go!" Ino grinned as she turned the handle and opened the door.


	12. Chapter 12

**Disclaimer**: I do not own the characters of _Naruto_, nor do I own the rights to the anime or manga in which the characters are derived. I do however own this story, since I am the one who wrote it. So keep your hands off!!! Thank you.

* * *

**Chapter 12**

There were people everywhere. Sakura had never expected that these many people went to Konoha Academy. It just seemed like there was no end to the amount of bodies that was currently packed in the main entrance.

She and Ino had entered into the party unnoticed only a few minutes ago. The first thing that Sakura had noticed when she walked in was the heat. It was very warm inside the house. Sakura guessed that because there were so many people inside the house at the moment, all of their collected body heat was making the temperature go up.

Sakura mentally punched herself. _No thinking like a brainiac! Not tonight. Just let yourself go and have fun. _Firmly putting her mental foot down, Sakura followed Ino as they squeezed their way through the crowd.

As they tried to make their way through, Sakura was bumped from behind by someone. She tripped, but quickly regained her footing before making a complete ass of herself. She turned her head to see who had bumped into her and was met with the cold brown glare of Tayuya.

Sakura mentally groaned at seeing her nemesis. She reflexively searched for an escape route, wanting to escape the verbal abuse that she was sure to receive at Tayuya's hands. But something stopped her. Ino's words, "The new and improved Sakura Haruno," rang through her head. She turned her jade eyes to meet Tayuya's dark ones, and took a deep breath. _Ok Sakura, you wanted new and improved, so here's your chance_.

Tayuya smirked at Sakura. "Hey there loser." Her eyes roved over Sakura, from the top of her head to the bottom of her shoes. Her smirk grew. "What have we here? This isn't a Halloween party you know, so that costume you have on isn't going to do you any good here."

Sakura straightened up and looked Tayuya right in the eye. She did her own once over of Tayuya, mimicking her right down to the smirk. "Then why oh why my dear Tayuya, do have that hideous mask on? Oh wait, sorry…." Sakura said as sickeningly sweet voice. At least, she hoped that it sounded sickeningly sweet. She dropped her eyelids to feign disinterest, and she pulled her mouth into a little quirk to seem like she was having a private laugh at Tayuya's expense.

Tayuya scowled at her, her face turning a little red. She seemed a little taken aback that Sakura would actually shoot insults back at her. She flipped her long red hair over her shoulder and tried again. "Do you like it? My mask? It reminded me of you."

Sakura faltered for a minute before continuing. "Why Tayuya, I'm flattered that you would pretend to be me. I guess that you got tired of being yourself huh? I mean, I would."

Tayuya turned even redder. The girls around her tittered, glancing between Sakura and their leader, one who seemed to be keeping their cool while the other was losing it.

Tayuya's eyes shifted to her followers. She locked eyes with Sakura, and Sakura quirked an eyebrow. _Come on Tayuya, give me what you got. I'm not going anywhere_.

"You…you…Ug! Just shut up and get out of my way!" She turned to face her followers, who stopped tittering. "Come on," she said to them angrily, "We're leaving." With that, Sakura watched as Tayuya and her posse huffed away.

Sakura stood there for a moment, her eyes trained on Tayuya's back as she retreated. _I won…. Oh my God, I won!!! _She grinned, elation welling up inside her. She had stood up for herself and won the battle against the dreaded fire breathing dragon. She giggled as the image of Tayuya as an ugly, scaly lizard flashed through her mind.

After she settled herself down, she looked around for Ino. She didn't see her blond friend anywhere, not even a flash of yellow in the crowd. Sakura started getting worried as she stood alone in a sea of people. She felt like a little kid that had just lost their parent in the mall or something.

She decided to head in the direction they were originally headed. She slipped through the crowd to end up on the other end of the room. Still not catching sight of Ino, she made her way along the wall to a door that she saw led to the kitchen. She walked in and saw that there were a few people hanging around in the kitchen. Most were drinking, some were snacking. She saw a flash of blond in the corner, but when she turned to look closer, she saw that it was Naruto.

Naruto was talking to this other kid, quite enthusiastically in fact. He was moving his hands as he spoke and his blue eyes flashed with humor and mischief. They met Sakura's green ones, and Naruto paused in his story telling to wave her over with a smile. Sakura smiled back at him before making her way over.

When she reached them, Naruto grinned at her and lifted a hand in greeting. "Hey Sakura-chan! Are you having a good time? You look really nice tonight! Hey, I want you to meet my friend Rock Lee. Lee, this is Sakura-chan, the new girl I told you about."

Sakura turned her attention to the boy that Naruto had been talking to. She felt her eyes widen at the sight she met. A round face set with a small mouth and nose, which would have been pretty normal, except this guy had the roundest eyes Sakura had ever seen on a person. He also had impossibly long lashes which would have made him look girly, but the two hairy caterpillars above his eyes took care of any questions about his masculinity. His hair was jet black and was styled in a bowl cut that worked for him. Sakura also noticed that he was wearing a lot of green. A _lot_ of green.

The boy smiled at her and stuck out his hand. "Hello, I am Rock Lee, but you can call me Lee."

Sakura smiled back at him. "It's a pleasure to meet you Lee. My name Sakura Haruno." She went to shake his hand, but instead of shaking it, Lee bent over and lightly kissed the back of her hand. He looked up at her with a smile. "Believe me, the pleasure is all mine."

Sakura smiled and blushed. She had never had anyone kiss her hand before, and she found it quite charming.

Beside them, Naruto made a face. "Gross Lee. Why do you always have to do that? I know that you're a Gnome and everything, but do you always have to be proper?"

Sakura gazed at Lee wonderingly. "You're a Gnome?"

Lee smiled at her. "Half Gnome, on my father's side."

"Wow, that's really cool Lee. Do you have any special abilities? I not that knowledgeable in, ah, gnome history," Sakura said.

Naruto cut in before Lee could answer. "Lee inherited super strength and super sharp vision from the Gnome side of his family. At least he didn't inherit his height from his dad's side, huh Lee?" Naruto laughed, nudging Lee in the side.

Lee smiled at Naruto before returning his attention back to Sakura. "Gnomes generally have the strength seven times that of a regular man, vision like a hawk and a connection to animals. We're also very fast."

Sakura sat with Naruto and Lee, discussing different Gnome types and tribes for a while. She found Lee to be rather funny and surprisingly, as enthusiastic as Naruto, if that were possible. As she got to know him better, he started to relax around her and show her his true self. She learned a lot about him and his culture as she talked with him. She also learned a lot about Naruto.

She learned that Naruto was actually an orphan whose parents had been killed by a rival clan of kitsune lead by someone called the Kyuubi. The Kyuubi decided to spare Naruto's life and took him in as his own. Now both clans were led by the Kyuubi, and Naruto was his adopted son. He said that he wasn't mad or anything with the Kyuubi for killing his birth parents, he got over that a long time ago. He was grateful that the Kyuubi spared his life and took him on as his heir. He even told Sakura stories about how the Kyuubi was so arrogant and head strong, when he was a baby, the Kyuubi refused any help from the women of the clan, and proceeded to do everything for Naruto himself. He had Sakura laughing from tales of dirty diapers and teething escapades.

Naruto had her laughing so hard in fact, that she didn't notice the person standing behind her until Naruto addressed them.

"Oi Teme! Where have you been eh? I've been looking for you all night! You know it's not very nice to tell someone that there's pudding in the fridge, and then run off when they're looking for it!"

Sakura stopped laughing immediately upon hearing Naruto say "Teme." She closed her eyes and whispered a silent prayer. _Oh please! Oh please, don't let it be Sasuke. Don't let it be Sasuke_. She slowly turned her head to look over her shoulder, and as jade met with pitch black, only one word flashed in her mind. _Crap_.


	13. Chapter 13

**Disclaimer**: I do not own the characters of _Naruto_, nor do I own the rights to the anime or manga in which the characters are derived. I do however own this story, since I am the one who wrote it. So keep your hands off!!! Thank you.

* * *

**Chapter 13**

_Crap. Crap. Crap. Crap_. Sasuke was standing very close, and Sakura didn't like it. She didn't like that she could feel his body heat radiating off of him like a furnace. She didn't like the way he smelled deliciously like lemon. She didn't like the way his hair fell over his forehead, and she especially didn't like the fact that she just wanted to reach up and run her fingers through it. She didn't like it at all.

As Sasuke looked down at her, Sakura became very aware of her appearance. She tugged at the bottom of her dress, which had now ridden up a bit higher than mid thigh. She blushed under his gaze and tried looking anywhere but at him. She didn't want to have another episode of….whatever had come over her last time she had look at him.

There were a few moments of silence as Sasuke stared down at her. Sakura shifted in her seat uncomfortably, wishing that she could be anywhere but where she was at the moment. Finally, the silence was broken as Lee cleared his throat.

"I must say Uchiha; you sure know how to throw a party. I've never seen so many people before. If you need any help cleaning up afterwards, please let me know. It's the least I can do for my host."

Sasuke answered Lee without taking his eyes off of Sakura. "Thank you Lee. If I need any help, I'll let you know."

Sasuke paused for a second before speaking directly to Sakura. "Your name is Sakura, right?"

Sakura nodded, and shifted her eyes up to Sasuke's face.

"I was wondering Sakura….Would you like to dance?"

It seemed as if the whole kitchen went silent. Sakura wasn't sure because all she could hear was the pounding of her heart in her ears. She looked up at him with wide eyes as he stood there, with a hand held out to her.

Sakura didn't know what was happening. Suddenly her body was working on auto pilot. Her hand seemed to find its way into his, her feet and legs lead her away with him back to the main hall, and her traitorous body didn't protest at all when he pulled her close to dance.

A slow ballad was playing on the speakers, but Sakura couldn't hear it. Honestly, she was surprised that she hadn't had a heart attack yet. Her heart was beating so wildly, her face felt hot, and her stomach was doing summersaults.

_Ug, why did this have to happen again? Why! This is so unfair. I move to a new school, and of course, the guy that I feel attracted to has to remind me of Sai. Perfect. Just perfect. And what the hell is up with my reactions to him? It's like my body goes into overdrive whenever I'm near him. Sigh. At least he smells nice, and I have to admit, he does feel pretty good to. He's more muscular than Sai was…_

Sakura smiled to herself at her last thoughts. She didn't notice Sasuke looking down at her, and she definitely didn't notice the way his lips quirked up into a little smile of his own.

As they turned slowly to the music, Sakura saw a familiar blond head in the crowd. Ino was dancing with a cute spiky haired boy with red swirl tattoos on his round cheeks. They looked very close as Sakura watched them whispering to each other and smiling as they danced.

As the couple turned, Sakura caught Ino's eye over the boys shoulder. She smiled when she saw Ino's blue eyes widen at the sight of her and Sasuke dancing together. Her mouth opened into a wide 'O', and she glared playfully at Sakura. Ino's hand moved from the boys shoulder to point at her own top as she mouthed, "_It's the dress_."

Sakura grinned. She mouthed back a "_Shut up_," before both girls returned their attention to their dancing partners with smiles on their faces.

As Sakura danced with Sasuke, she felt herself relax in his arms as they swayed. His hands at her waist were strong and warm. His cheek was soft as it brushed against her forehead. She could feel his heartbeat, strong and steady against her chest.

When her eyes drooped shut, and her head found its way onto Sasuke's shoulder, Sakura decided to do nothing about it. For the first time in a long time, she felt safe, and she was determined to enjoy it, even if only for one night.

When the song ended, Sasuke gently pulled away from Sakura. She opened her eyes, a bit drowsy now. She looked up at Sasuke and smiled up at him when he looked down at her.

"Thank you for the dance Sasuke." Sakura felt a blush come upon her and she quickly looked down at her feet shyly. "Um, well, I'm, ah, going to go find Ino now. I'm a bit tired, so I think I'll go home." She turned to leave, but was stopped by Sasuke's hand on her arm.

She looked up at him with confusion.

Sasuke didn't let go of her arm as he stepped closer and said, "Let me take you home then. It's the least I can do."

"What? No, you don't have to, really. I mean, this is your party anyway. You should stay here with the rest of your guests. It's fine. I can just catch a ride with Ino." Sakura rambled.

Sasuke waved a hand dismissively in the air. "Nonsense. For the simple fact that I am your host, I should see that you get home safely."

Sakura opened her mouth to protest, but couldn't come up with anything that could stand against the logic of what Sasuke had said.

"I don't want to be a bother…" Sakura said quietly.

Sasuke pulled on her arm, making her follow him as he walked towards the stairs. "It's no bother if I volunteer. It's not like your forcing me."

Sakura sighed as her words were again deflected by Sasuke's logic.

They walked up the stairs and down the hall. Sakura scrunched her nose in confusion as she walked behind Sasuke.

"Um, Sasuke? Where are we going?"

Sasuke glanced over his shoulder at her. "We're going to my room for a moment. I need my keys."

"Oh…," Sakura squeaked.

_His room? They were going to his room? Oh man, oh man, oh man. _

_**What are you so worried about? **_

_Oh, so your back now huh?_

_**I was always here**_, said Inner Sakura. _**I just didn't feel like coming out until now. Sorry to say, but your life has been pretty boring for the past week. This however is pretty exciting.**_

_Exciting? How can this be exciting? We're going to his room! _

_**Duh! That's the exciting part! What if he wants to do more than just get his keys?**_

_That's not going to happen._

_**He's a werewolf honey. If he feels like doing something other than get his keys, he's going to. **_

_I won't let him!_

_**Babe, you don't have any powers. It was a lucky break with Sai, but do you really want to take a chance on this? He's a werewolf. It's not like you can smack him on the nose with a newspaper and he'll stop. Look, I'm not saying that he'll do something, maybe he won't. But what if he does? **_

Sakura bit her lip. Inner Sakura was right; she couldn't risk another Sai episode happening, even if Sasuke didn't know who she really was. She couldn't get close to him, not until she knew him better.

She stopped in her tracks, digging in her heels so that Sasuke had to stop too. He looked back at her with a questioning look.

"Sakura? Is something wrong?"

Sakura took a deep breath, put on her most serious expression and looked Sasuke right in the eye. "I'm sorry Sasuke, I appreciate the offer for the ride back home, but I would feel better if I went home with the same person I came here with."

Sasuke turned so that he was facing her. His hand was still around her wrist, and Sakura could feel his breath on her face as looked down at her.

"I have no problem taking you home Sakura."

Sakura shook her head. "You've said that, and like I said before, I appreciate the offer. But I would really feel better about going home with Ino."

As she looked up at him, she saw his eyes harden. She tried to tug her arm away from his grasp, but his hand only tightened around her wrist.

"Why?"

Her brow furrowed in confusion. "Why what?"

"Why don't you want me to drive you? What the real reason that you don't want to come with me? Other girls would have killed at the chance to get a ride from me. Why don't you?"

Sakura felt a sudden burst of anger from his words. She yanked her arm away and took a step back. She glared up at him. "I don't want a ride from you because I don't know you. I don't know a thing about you and believe it or not, I'm not like other girls. I don't get in cars with strange boys that I've just met, even if they are good looking. I don't want a ride from you because I don't trust you!"

Sasuke's lip curled back and Sakura could have sworn that he growled at that moment. Realizing that she had just angered a hormonal teenage werewolf, Sakura turned on her heel and tried to run back to the safety of the party.

She didn't make it very far when a heavy hand fell on her shoulder and spun her around. Before she knew what was happening, she was slammed against the wall. Sasuke stood in front of her, his arms braced on either side, caging her in.

_Oh god, it's happening again_. Suddenly, Sai's face was replaced with Sasuke's, and the hall around her disappeared. Instead of feeling the smooth texture of the wall behind her, she felt the soft prickle of grass. Above her Sai's face contorted to an expression of malice and evil as he raised the knife that he clutched in his hand.

As Sakura watched the knife in Sai's hand start to descend, she heard a distant scream. It wasn't until much later that she learned that the one screaming had been her.


	14. Chapter 14

**Disclaimer**: I do not own the characters of _Naruto_, nor do I own the rights to the anime or manga in which the characters are derived. I do however own this story, since I am the one who wrote it. So keep your hands off!!! Thank you.

* * *

**Chapter 14**

Ino and Choji were sitting on the couch in the large living room, cuddling and talking to each other in low voices. When a piercing scream cut through the music, and reached there ears, both of them shot up.

"What the hell was that?" Choji exclaimed.

Ino felt a kernel of fear and worry settle in the pit of her stomach. "I don't know. Maybe someone's hurt."

"It sounded like it came from upstairs. Come on, let's go check it out. Like you said, someone might have gotten hurt."

Ino followed Choji as they rushed to the stair case. Around them, people stood frozen, looking up the stairs from where the scream had come from. As they reached the stairs, Ino and Choji met up with Naruto and Lee at the bottom.

"Did you guys hear that too?" Naruto asked them, his voice grave.

Ino and Choji nodded.

"Come on you guys!" Lee said impatiently, sprinting up the stairs.

The others followed them and when they reached the top, they gazed, horrified, at the sight before them.

Sakura was huddled against the wall with her knees up to her chest, rocking back and forth. Her hair was dishelved, and her eyes were a little wild and unfocused, like she was seeing something that they couldn't. She was whimpering quietly.

Sasuke was against the other wall, clutching his left arm to his chest. He was breathing heavily, like he had just run a long time and there was sweat dripping down his face.

Ino heard a growl come from beside her. She looked over at Naruto and gasped as she saw that his eyes had turned red and fierce.

"What did you do to her?" Naruto growled. He flexed his hands, which were now sporting razor sharp claws.

Ino looked to Sasuke. His eyes were fixed on Sakura. She could tell that he wasn't paying attention to Naruto, or to any of them.

"SASUKE!!" Naruto bellowed.

Sasuke's eyes shifted toward Naruto. They locked eyes and stared at each other.

"What did you do to her?" Naruto asked again.

Sasuke leaned his head against the wall as he stared at Naruto, silent.

Ino cautiously moved toward Sakura. She bent down in front of her and put her hand on her knee. Sakura jumped at the touch of Ino's hand. Her eyes searched out for Ino's, fear and a touch of madness swirling within their jade depths.

Ino swallowed back the tears threatening to well up at the sight of her friend in this state. She smiled kindly at Sakura, careful not to startle her.

"Sakura… Sakura, do you know who I am? I'm Ino, remember? I'm your friend Sakura."

Sakura's brow furrowed at Ino's words. "Ino…?" Sakura said in a voice that sounded just like a child's, small and afraid.

"That's right Sakura, I'm Ino, your friend."

Suddenly, Sakura's eyes filled, and tears started to streak down her face. "Ino…"

Ino gathered Sakura against her and held her close as she rocked her back and forth. "Shh, it's going to be OK Sakura, it will be OK…"

Meanwhile, Naruto had moved toward Sasuke. He stood in front of him now, red eyes blazing. Sasuke's looked back at him indifferently.

Naruto growled and grabbed Sasuke's shirt collar. "Sasuke, I swear if you hurt her, you will regret it. Do you understand?"

"…Hnh."

Naruto let go of him and glanced down at his arm. The sleeve of the shirt seemed to have been burnt off, and the skin on Sasuke's arm was red and welted. The smell of burnt flesh and hair filled the hall. Naruto smirked.

"Seemed like she gave you something that you weren't expecting, huh Teme?"

Sasuke looked off to the side, giving the impression that he was ignoring Naruto.

Naruto snorted and turned toward Sakura and Ino. Ino looked up at him worriedly. Naruto closed his eyes and took a deep breath. The claws on his hands retracted, and when he opened his eyes, they were back to their original color.

He knelt next to Sakura, not touching her.

"Sakura? Are you OK?"

Sakura sniffled into Ino's shoulder before turning her head to look at Naruto. She sniffed again before answering, "I want to go home."

Naruto and Ino helped Sakura to stand up. They stood on either side of her, walking with her to the stairs. Choji and Lee stepped back to let Sakura through. Both sent glares at Sasuke before following.

Ino had Choji bring her car to the entrance. They carefully put Sakura into the passenger's seat, fastening her belt and closing the door. Ino talked with Naruto, Lee and Choji before getting into the car herself. She told them that she would take Sakura home, tell her aunt what happened and just leave Sakura with her aunt. She also mentioned what Sakura had told her about her old boyfriend. Ino suspected that whatever Sasuke had done, it had reminded Sakura of her old boyfriend and she had just reacted without thinking. Sakura had told her that they hadn't parted on the best of terms after all.

The boys agreed, and said that they would go back and confront Sasuke. They waved goodbye as Ino and Sakura drove away, and together they made their way back inside the house and up the stairs.

* * *

Ino and Sakura drove back to Sakura's house in silence. Ino kept glancing at Sakura nervously, wanting to know whether her friend was really alright. Sakura just stared out the window the whole way, not saying a single word.

When they reached Sakura's house, Ino helped her out of the car and walked with her up to the front door. She knocked on the door and waited. She heard someone moving around inside and it wasn't long before Sakura's aunt opened up.

"Hey guys, why are you back so soon…… Sakura? Sakura what happened!?" Tsunade gasped. She went to Sakura's other side and helped Ino to bring her inside. They sat her on the couch in the living room. Tsunade knelt in front of Sakura, pulling her hands into her own. She spoke gently to Sakura, rubbing her hands in between hers comfortingly as she asked her about what had happened.

When Sakura didn't answer, Ino answered for her. She told Tsunade about her losing Sakura in the crowd, when she saw her go into the kitchen and talk to Naruto and Lee, when she saw her on the dance floor with Sasuke Uchiha, when she heard the scream, when she came upstairs and found Sakura. She told Tsunade everything she remembered.

When she finished, Tsunade looked at Sakura sadly for a minute before sighing and standing up. She asked Ino to help her get Sakura into bed. They both walked her upstairs to her room. Tsunade asked Ino to stay in the hall as she helped Sakura change and get into bed.

Ten minutes after Tsunade closed the door to Sakura's room, she came back out. She walked Ino to the door and thanked her for brining her niece home. Ino asked Tsunade to let her know when Sakura was feeling better. Tsunade said that she would have Sakura call her. Ino agreed reluctantly. She got in her car, and with a wave goodbye to Tsunade, she drove off into the night.

Tsunade watched as Ino drove off before locking the front door. She went into the kitchen and sat at the table. She lowered her face into her hands and gave a shuddering sigh. _What am I going to do…?_

* * *

Naruto, Lee and Choji made their way through the crowd of people, all of whom had returned to enjoying the party, the earlier commotion already forgotten.

The three made their way up the stairs and down the hall. Sasuke was no where to be seen, but near the end of the hall, a light shone from underneath a door. They walked towards the door and pushed it open.

They entered a room that had blood red walls, and black and white pieces of furniture. Across from the entrance, there was another door, and it was open to reveal a bathroom, which was done in back and white. The sound of running water could be heard from inside.

Naruto, Choji and Lee walked in and closed the door behind them. A few seconds later, a shirtless Sasuke Uchiha walked out of the bathroom. His left arm, the one that had been burned, was wrapped in bandages. He looked at the trio, giving away nothing in his expression.

Naruto sat on the plush bed in the middle of the room. He laced his fingers together and looked over at Sasuke.

"Do you want to tell us what happened Sasuke? Do you want to explain why we found Sakura in the state we did, and why it seemed like she had just been to hell and back?"

Sasuke was silent for a moment before he went to his desk and pulled out a chair. He sat on it and sighed. He rubbed his hand across his face and suddenly looked very weary.

"You don't understand."

Naruto's jaw tightened. He clenched his hands together until his knuckles turned white. Lee and Choji stood silently to the side.

"Understand what Sasuke? What the hell wouldn't I understand? Because if you don't explain to me what happened, I'm just going to make my own assumptions. I'm going to assume that you brought Sakura up here for some perverted reason, that she fought you, that you attacked her, and that she lashed out at you. And if I'm going to assume all that, so will everyone else. So tell me Sasuke, what exactly won't I understand."

Sasuke sighed again. He mumbled something under his breath that was too low to hear.

Naruto leaned forward. "What?"

Sasuke mumbled a little louder, but it was still to low.

Naruto cupped his hand around his ear. "What?"

Sasuke glared at Naruto. Than he leaned forward and said very clearly, "She's my mate."

…………

"WHAT!?!?!?"


	15. Chapter 15

**Disclaimer**: I do not own the characters of _Naruto_, nor do I own the rights to the anime or manga in which the characters are derived. I do however own this story, since I am the one who wrote it. So keep your hands off!!! Thank you.

* * *

**Chapter 15**

Sasuke winced and rubbed his forehead. "Be quiet Dobe."

Naruto stared at Sasuke with his mouth open. Needless to say that he was dumbfounded by what Sasuke had just said.

"M-Mate? You mean… that you recognized her?" Naruto asked, his anger forgotten and replaced by awe.

Sasuke nodded. "The first day that she was at school. I picked up her scent in the hall, but with everyone else's scents mixed in with it, I wasn't sure. Than when we went to Jiraiya's class, I passed by her, and I recognized her. I'm sure that she's my mate Dobe."

To the side, Lee and Choji stood in confusion. Lee stepped forward, waving a hand for attention. "Um, excuse me, but what are you guys talking about? How can Sakura be his mate? Don't you have to, you know…" Lee blushed. He cleared his throat before continuing, "Um, well, what does Sakura being Sasuke's mate have anything to do with this?"

Sasuke looked at Naruto, not answering. Naruto sighed and answered Lee instead. "This suddenly got very complicated. You see Lee, a werewolf can recognize his mate by the way that he or she smells. It's a mixture of pheromones that are uniquely attractive to the respective werewolf. Since werewolves have such a heightened sense of smell, the smell of a person can tell them a lot. The scent of a mate is a different smell from others because once a werewolf smells their particular mate, the scent tells them that that particular person is the perfect partner for them."

"So you're telling me that Sasuke," Lee looked pointedly at the boy in question before returning his attention to Naruto, "Caught Sakura's scent, and because of a unique mix of pheromones that she gave off, he thinks that she's his mate?"

Naruto and Sasuke nodded their heads in unison.

Lee sweatdropped. "But, how can you be sure that she's your mate? And besides, after what happened tonight, do you really think that you can get her to agree to be your mate?"

Sasuke shifted in his seat. "Yeah, I know I messed up. I was trying to be nice to her, and when that backfired, I lost my temper. I still haven't gotten totally control over my 'other side' yet." He looked down at his wrapped up arm and winced. "I didn't think that she was so powerful. I had heard that she hadn't come into her powers yet."

Naruto looked at Sasuke's arm as well. "Me too, but after tonight, she shouldn't have a problem with that anymore, right Teme?"

Sasuke glared at Naruto. "I didn't mean for that to happen."

Naruto looked at his best friend sadly. "But it did, and now she's probably scared of you. I'm sorry Teme, but you're going to have one hell of a job trying to get Sakura to like you now."

Lee looked from Naruto to Sasuke. "Wait! You're still going to try to win over Sakura?"

Naruto looked over at Lee. "Well yeah, he has to. To find your mate is rare thing. I'm sure that Teme wouldn't want to lose his one and only chance at happiness and love," Naruto said, making kissing noises at Sasuke.

Sasuke growled and threw a book at Naruto's head. Naruto dodged it and laughed, only to be cut off in mid-laugh by the second book, which did manage to hit him in the face.

As Sasuke sat there, watching as Naruto crawled over to Lee and Choji, clutching at his face dramatically, he though about his situation. As much as he hated to admit it, the Dobe was right. He was going to have one hell of a time trying to win over Sakura, but when they were dancing together, he just knew how _right_ it was to have her there in his arms. He knew that she had felt it too.

Sasuke's eyes hardened with determination. He would get Sakura to agree to be his mate. She was his, there was no doubt about that, and Sasuke Uchiha was not the kind of person to let what was his slip away from him without a fight.

* * *

When Sakura woke up in the early morning, she had to take a few minutes to gather her thoughts together.

She remembered last night. Boy did she remember last night. She shivered with embarrassment, fear, guilt and countless other emotions that were bubbling up inside her.

_Why? Why did I have to freak out? Why did Sasuke act so scary and dangerous? Why did I have to completely break apart?_

_**Well honey, that's what happens when you've had experiences with deranged psychopaths. Sometimes you just break down. Nothing that you need to blame yourself for. It could have, and has happened to a lot of people. **_

Sakura moaned and pressed her face up against her pillow. _But why did it have to happen to me? I don't want to go back to school and have Ino and the others look at me like I'm a total freak._

_**Maybe you shouldn't underestimate your friends. They seemed pretty sympathetic last night. You just need to explain to them about what happened, that's all. **_

_But then I would have to mention Sai, and if I mention Sai, then I would have to tell them about me being the Cherry Blossom Witch…_

_**Not necessarily. You can tell them about Sai and what he tried to do, but you don't have to tell them about being the Cherry Blossom Witch. Remember after the incident, and we overheard Mom and Dad talking about the ritual that Sai had planned to use to drain our powers? I remember them mentioning that evil warlocks and wizards used that particular ritual, or different variations of it, to drain witches of their powers to increase their own. If you mention that to your friends, they won't question why Sai would be after your powers, other than the fact that you're a witch, which they already know.**_

Sakura sat up in bed and thought about what Inner Sakura had just said. It was true. She did overhear her parents talk about the incident and the ritual that Sai had used. She had even done research on it when she was comfortable enough to go back to those memories. Yes! She didn't have to reveal herself to her friends. She pumped her fist in the air, a happy smile on her face.

The smile disappeared when her mind suddenly flashed to thoughts of Sasuke. _But what about Sasuke?_

_**What about him?**_

_Well, I feel bad for freaking out on him, and I think…I think I hurt him too._

_**Nothing that he didn't deserve.**_

_Well, I think that he was just trying to be nice, and I shot him done non-to-gently. I get the feeling that he's not nice for just anyone, and after going out his way to offer me a ride a home, I was rude and ungrateful._

_**He slammed you up against a wall.**_

_Yeah, but… _

_**Sigh. You like him don't you?**_

Sakura frowned. _What? No, I… I don't…_

_**You like him. **_

Sakura sighed. _Yeah. I guess I do. A little._

_**Mm Hm. I guess that it can't be helped.**_ _**Ok, I will allow you to date him. **_

Sakura snorted. _Allow me? Um, need I remind you that I am the one in control here?_

_**Don't rub it in. Just be careful ok? Even if you're in control, it's both our asses on the line if you get into trouble. **_

_Duly noted…Mom. _

_**I heard that!**_

Sakura laughed as she threw back the covers and climbed out of bed.


	16. Chapter 16

**Disclaimer**: I do not own the characters of _Naruto_, nor do I own the rights to the anime or manga in which the characters are derived. I do however own this story, since I am the one who wrote it. So keep your hands off!!! Thank you.

**Author's Notes**: YAY!! Over 100 reviews and so far all of them good. I'm so happy that everyone likes my story and I really hope that you continue to like it as I keep updating until the very end! Thanks again everyone!

* * *

**Chapter 16 **

Sakura walked briskly down the stairs and made her way to the kitchen. She paused before entering.

She knew that Aunt Tsunade would have been really worried after what happened last night. She had been so exhausted last night after her 'crazy' episode that when Tsunade had tried to talk to her, Sakura couldn't find the strength to answer. She had just wanted to go to bed and forget about what happened that night.

She opened the door cautiously, poking her head through the crack. She saw Tsunade sitting at the table, a cup of coffee in her hands. Tsunade looked up when Sakura opened the door, and seeing Sakura, Tsunade motioned for her to come and join her.

Sakura padded over and sat down across from Tsunade. They sat there in silence for a few moments before Tsunade made the first move. "So, want to tell me what exactly happened last night?"

It took about half an hour to tell her story. After she was done, Tsunade looked at her niece sadly from across the table. "Maybe we should pull you out of school Sakura. We could home school you. It's been done before, or we can get you a private tutor."

Sakura gaped at her Aunt in horror. "No Aunt Tsunade! That's not what I need right now. Look, I know that what happened was terrible, but cutting me off from the rest of the world is not going to help. If anything it would hurt me more."

"But Sakura, what if it happens again? People will get worried, and when they get worried, they're going to ask questions. Are you prepared to answer those questions?"

Sakura sighed. "I've already thought of that. I've decided it's ok for me to talk about Sai, I mean, I think it would be good for me. That way, I wouldn't be completely alone in the situation and if I have problems, than I can consult my friends."

Tsunade rubbed her hand across her face. "Sakura…I get that, really I do. But you have to be careful about what you share with other people. I know that they seem nice, and that girl that brought you home seemed like a really good person, but Sakura, do you want to risk the chance of them turning on you once they learn who you really are?"

Sakura looked down at her hands, tears welling up behind her eyes lids. She looked up at Tsunade with shining eyes as she said, "Aunt Tsunade, I don't know whether I can trust the people around me or not. What happened with Sai… That really messed me up, but I can't go through life suspicious of everyone around me." Her lower lip quivered and a few tears managed to spill over down her cheeks. "I need… I need to learn how to trust again. I need to put myself out there, and if I get hurt, I consider that a better option than not getting hurt at all. I don't want to live my life in fear! I want to trust people, and laugh with them and love with them and cry with them, and that can't happen unless I take the risk to trust them. If I can't do that for my friends, how can I expect them to do that for me?"

Tsunade was quiet. She got up from her chair and walked around the table to Sakura. She put her arms around her niece, holding her close. Sakura sobbed quietly into Tsunade's shoulder. Tsunade rubbed Sakura's back, trying to sooth her.

"Shh, it's OK Sakura. I understand. It's OK." Tsunade pulled back a bit and wiped away Sakura's tears with her sleeve. Then she cupped Sakura's face in her hands and looked her right in the eyes, a warm little smile on her face.

"Ok, so here's the deal. You can continue to go to Konoha Academy. I won't take you away from what little friends that you have."

"Hey!"

Tsunade shushed her by pressing her hands together and giving Sakura a fish face. She grinned at Sakura before continuing. "But, I want you to work really hard at trying to tap into your powers, the sooner the better. That girl Ino told me about Sasuke's arm and what happened to it. That could be a sign that your powers are manifesting. You just need to tap into it and then learn how to wield it. I would feel a lot better if you learned how to tap into your powers. That way when you go out, I don't have to be constantly worrying about you. Got it?"

"Yeth."

Tsunade smiled and let Sakura go. She went to the stove and turned it on. When she went to the refrigerator, she paused. She turned back to Sakura, all humor and kidding aside.

"Sakura, about that episode that you had… I was wondering if-if you wanted to go see someone about that."

Sakura looked at her aunt with a mixture of surprise and hurt. "You mean like a shrink? Aunt Tsunade, I'm not crazy."

Tsunade waved her hand dismissively in the air. "No, no, no. Sakura, I'm talking about a counselor or a therapist. Seeing one doesn't mean that you're crazy princess. People go see them all the time when they want help with their problems, and they can't work them out themselves. I just think that maybe if you wanted to talk to, I mean really talk to someone, then maybe you would want to see a professional."

Sakura shook her head. "No Aunt Tsunade. I-I would feel…weird, and uncomfortable with sharing this with someone who I didn't know. I don't think that it would help me much."

Tsunade sighed and opened the fridge, rummaging inside. "Well, if that's what you want. But if you ever change your mind, just tell me, and I'll work something out, ok?"

Sakura nodded, smiling. She had panicked for a second there when her aunt had mentioned getting 'help' with her problem, but she knew that her aunt was just worried about her. Truth be told, she was pretty worried herself. Getting over Sai, and getting comfortable with sharing her most private memories, was not something that was going to happen overnight.

Sakura was determined though, and she knew that in time she would overcome her fears. She just needed time, that was all.

Sakura and Tsunade ate breakfast together, chatting about the rest of the party and planning the schedule for the day. Sakura was going to try to finish her homework and do some chores, while Tsunade had some work to do at her restaurant, which meant that she wouldn't be back until late.

After breakfast, Sakura cleared the table and did the dishes. Tsunade showered and got ready to leave. She called a farewell to Sakura as she was leaving, which Sakura replied in kind. After Tsunade left, Sakura went upstairs to shower herself. After that, she finished her homework, had lunch, and then went on the computer to chat with TenTen for a while.

It was around 4 pm when Sakura logged off the computer. She decided to do some laundry and watch some TV downstairs. She also called Ino to tell her that she was OK and that she would be attending school on Monday. When Ino asked her about what had happened to her, Sakura told her that she would explain everything the next day at school. After reassuring Ino that she really was fine for the twentieth time, Sakura hung up and finished her chores.

When Tsunade got home, it was already 9:30, and Sakura had already gone up to bed. As she lay under the covers, listening to Tsunade moving about downstairs, Sakura went over what she was going to say to everyone. She had rehearsed her story over and over, being careful to leave out anything that might lead to the fact that she was the Cherry Blossom Witch.

When she heard Tsunade go into her room, Sakura closed her eyes and tried to sleep. She was going to need all the rest she could get.

* * *

Sakura kissed her aunt on the cheek goodbye before she left for school. She went over her story again as she walked the ten minutes to Konoha Academy. When she reached the school grounds, she took a deep breath to calm her rapidly beating heart.

_Calm down Sakura, everything will be fine. _

_**Yeah honey, don't sweat it. You'll be fine. You haven't fainted yet, so nothing to worry about.**_

Sakura frowned as she walked up to the school entrance. _Um, thanks, I think. You know, that's not very encouraging or helpful._

_**Wasn't meant to be.**_

_Gee thanks_, Sakura huffed.

_**You can't huff in your mind. Oh, and you'd better watch where you're going hon.**_

Sakura apologized to the boy she had just bumped into, and continued towards the door.

_A warning could have been nice._

_**Yeah, but then it wouldn't have been funny.**_

Sakura growled. She pushed the entrance door and walked into the school foyer. She made her way across the floor to the staircase. She climbed the staircase, walked through the large wooden doors leading to the Magic Wing. She stopped in front of the large doors that opened up to Hall 3.

_This is it. Get ready Sakura, because you're most likely going to be bombarded with questions, and you're going to have to answer them whether you like it or not. So pull up your pants, put on your kick-ass boots, and let's get ready to RUMBLE!!!!_

_**Um, Sakura, let's leave the rumbling out shall we? **_

_Oh, right. Sorry._

With that, Sakura pushed open the door to her classroom.


	17. Chapter 17

**Disclaimer**: I do not own the characters of _Naruto_, nor do I own the rights to the anime or manga in which the characters are derived. I do however own this story, since I am the one who wrote it. So keep your hands off!!! Thank you.

* * *

**Chapter 17**

Sakura was not the first person to arrive to class. The heads of her classmates all turned as if on cue when she opened the door. Immediately afterward, the whispering started.

Sakura felt her face flush as she made her way to her desk. As she walked by her classmates, she caught little snippets of their conversations.

"I heard that she went wacko at Sasuke's party…"

"I heard that she tried to force herself on him…"

"Yeah, and when he refused her, she went ballistic…"

"She's a total psycho…"

"I can't believe she came to school…"

"What a loser…"

Sakura sat down at her desk, keeping her eyes cast downward so that she wouldn't have to meet the hateful gazes currently directed at her.

A few minutes went by until Sakura heard the class room door open again. She looked over her shoulder, hoping that it was Ino, and heaved a sigh of relief when she saw her blond friend walk in.

Ino's eyes locked with Sakura's. She practically ran over to Sakura before enveloping her in a tight hug.

"I'm so glad that you're here and that you're ok! I was so worried! You sure you're ok? Do you need anything? Just say the word."

Sakura hugged back before she leaned back to look at her friend. She smiled at Ino warmly.

"I'm fine, really. Thank you for worrying about me. Did you get home safely after the party?"

Ino looked at her dumbfounded. "Are you kidding me? You have a nervous breakdown, and you're asking me if I'm ok? Seriously?"

Sakura shrugged apologetically. "Sorry."

Ino shook her head. "No, you have nothing to be sorry about." Ino glanced around and lowered her voice as she said, "Do you… Do you want to talk about what happened Sakura? Cause you can tell me. I'll try to be as helpful as I can."

Sakura smiled at her. She took her hand in hers and squeezed it. "Thank you Ino, I really appreciate it. Actually, I would like to talk about it, but if you don't mind, I'd like to talk with Lee, Naruto, and um…S-Sasuke as well. I'd like to tell you guys together. Is that all right?"

Ino nodded. "Of course, if that's what you're comfortable with Sakura. We can meet with Naruto and Sasuke as they get out of class, and we can go upstairs for Lee."

"Thank you Ino."

Ino patted her hand comfortingly. "No problem. What are friends for?"

As Anko walked in, and Ino and Sakura turned to face the front of the class, Sakura smiled to herself. _Yeah, what are friends for?_

* * *

After class was done, Ino and Sakura packed up their books and hurriedly made their way down the hall. Ahead of them, they could see the students from the anthropomorphic wing walking down the hall and around the corner.

Ino and Sakura pushed their way through the crowd of students clogging the hall. Sakura saw a flash of yellow in front of her and called out, "Naruto! Naruto wait!"

Sakura made her way towards the shock of blonde hair that stood out in the crowd. When she reached him, she saw that Sasuke and a few others were hanging around him. She glanced at Sasuke, and seeing that he was looking at her, she snapped her eyes back to Naruto, her cheeks a bit red from embarrassment.

Naruto smiled down at her in greeting. "Hey Sakura-chan! What's up? You wanna eat lunch with me? I brought a lunch today so that I don't have to wait in line. It's a pretty good lunch. Did you bring a lunch? If you didn't, I can-"

"Naruto!"

Naruto stopped in mid-sentence. He closed his mouth and smiled sheepishly. "Yes Sakura-chan?"

"Uh, well, I wanted to talk to you and, uh…Sasuke, about what happened on Saturday. Can you two follow me upstairs? I'd like to talk to Lee about what happened too."

Naruto looked over at Sasuke, who just nodded. He turned back to Sakura, placing an arm around her shoulders in a half hug. "Sure Sakura-chan. Lead the way."

Sakura smiled gratefully at Naruto. She didn't dare look over at Sasuke, not wanting to embarrass herself further.

Sakura, Ino, Naruto and Sasuke made their way to the top floor where they would find Lee. Ino said that he would be in the ethereal wing, so they headed up the stairs and through the doors to the ethereal wing.

Much like on the way to the magic wing, the walls of the hallway that led to the ethereal wing were covered in beautiful and haunting paintings.

One painting was that of a beautiful woman with jet black hair and skin as white as the moon. She was holding a wine glass in her hand, which was filled with a dark red liquid. She had a small smile on her face, and if Sakura looked closely, she could make out a hint of a fang peek out from between the woman's lips.

Her green eyes had no pupils, like Temari's eyes, and in the corner of the painting, something caught her eye. It was a hand. Pale and lifeless, it lay at the woman's feet, connected to a wrist that was connected to a person who lay just beyond the painting's boundaries. Sakura shivered as she walked past it.

There were other paintings that caught Sakura's attention as the group walked down the hall. One of a centaur, a water nymph, a giant, the list went on. As Sakura was giving one last glance at a painting depicting a mermaid in her ocean home, she was surprised when she ran into something quite suddenly.

She bounced back a few steps, giving a small 'Oomph' at the sudden collision. She raised her head, an apologetic smile on her face and a 'Sorry' on her tongue when all speech and thought were stopped as her body was seized with icy cold shivers.

Before her stood a boy who looked a year or two younger than she was. He had dark red hair, pale skin and stood about an inch shorter than her. He was quite handsome with his smooth skin and light build. But it was his eyes that Sakura noticed more than anything.

Ice blue, with no pupils, they were rimmed with thick lashes and black make-up to make them stand out from his face. As she looked into his eyes, she felt an overwhelming sense of sadness and despair wash over her.

She distantly heard a low growl from behind her. Someone stepped in front of her, blocking her view of the boy, and also freeing her from the cold gaze.

"Gaara," Sasuke growled.

The boy named Gaara looked at Sasuke without emotion. "Uchiha," he said softly.

Sakura shivered again as another cold tingle raced up her spine. His voice was soft, but Sakura could hear the malice and loathing behind his polite greeting. Ino came beside her, placing her own trembling hand on Sakura's arm. Sakura grasped Ino hand with her own, squeezing.

"What are you and your…_friends_ doing up here Uchiha? You understand that this is not your wing?" Gaara asked.

Sasuke looked at the vampire with hate in his eyes. "Why we're here is none of you business. Step aside."

"No."

Sasuke growled again. He clenched his hands and stiffened his shoulders. "I'm warning you…"

"Warning me? From what Uchiha? Are you going to attack me? That's amusing."

To Sakura's surprise, he did sound amused. As though the thought of being attacked by a werewolf were laughable, this boy actually found the idea of Sasuke attacking him funny.

Wanting to get away from this Gaara person as soon as possible, Sakura reached out and touched Sasuke's shoulder. Sasuke glanced at her from over his shoulder, his eyes hard.

"Please, let's just go. Please Sasuke."

She saw Sasuke's eyes soften a bit before he turned his head back to look at Gaara. The tension in his shoulders and arms eased a bit as well as he relaxed. He reached behind him and grabbed Sakura's hand, pulling her past Gaara into the ethereal wing.

"I don't have time for you vampire. We have business, so we'll have to settle this next time."

Naruto and Ino followed Sasuke and Sakura around the corner, but not before Sakura caught Gaara's quiet farewell. "Indeed we will Uchiha, indeed we will."


	18. Chapter 18

**Disclaimer**: I do not own the characters of _Naruto_, nor do I own the rights to the anime or manga in which the characters are derived. I do however own this story, since I am the one who wrote it. So keep your hands off!!! Thank you.  
________________________________________________________________________

**Chapter 18**

Sasuke dragged Sakura behind him as they walked past Gaara. Naruto and Ino followed close behind them into the ethereal wing. Sasuke stopped in front of the last set of doors at the end of the hall. His large hand was still holding onto Sakura's smaller one, but at that moment, Sakura didn't really mind.

Sasuke pushed the doors open. The four of them poked their heads through the door. The class was large, like all the others, except that the walls were covered with shelves of books that reached up all the way to the ceiling. There were couches and plush chairs in the corners of the room, with tables in the center that must have doubled up as desks for the students.

At the back of the room, there was a large desk where a man seemed to be napping. He looked to be the only person in the room. Lee was nowhere to be seen.

Sasuke let go of Sakura's hand and stepped into the class. Sakura felt a tinge of disappointment at the loss, but quickly quelled it.

The trio at the door watched as Sasuke walked up to the desk. The man made no move as Sasuke approached, but once Sasuke was on the other side of the desk, Sakura saw the man's black eyes snap open.

The man studied Sasuke for a moment before speaking, acting as if he was expecting Sasuke and that's why his presence hadn't surprised him. "Sasuke Uchiha isn't it?" the man grumbled. He straightened up in his chair and stretched his arms above his head. He grunted as various joints popped and cracked. He lowered his arms as he gave his full attention to the teenager in front of him. "What can I help you with today?"

"Asuma-sensei, we were wondering were Rock Lee was. Do you know where he is?"

Asuma was silent for a moment before answering, "Sorry kid, but I haven't seen Lee all day. I think he said something last week about visiting his uncle. Gai something or other. I can't remember. Was that all, or do you need something else?"

Sasuke shook his head. "Thank you Asuma-sensei." Sasuke said, bowing his head respectfully before turning away and walking back to the door.

Sakura watched as Sasuke walked back toward their group. She glanced over his shoulder at the teacher. She wondered what kind of magical being he was as she watched him reach into one of his drawers. When she saw him pull out what seemed to be a plastic bag filled with a tomato juice, she figured that maybe it was safer not asking questions she didn't want answers to.

Sakura, Naruto and Ino backed up into the hallway as Sasuke walked out, pulling the door closed behind him. He looked over at Sakura. "So, what do you want to do now?"

Sakura bit her lip in thought. She wanted to explain her actions to everyone, but she had wanted everyone to be there. She would just have to talk to Lee another time about it and get it out in the open with the others.

"Is there somewhere we can sit and be alone? I would still like to talk to you three."

Sasuke looked over at Naruto, tilting his head ever so slightly. A moment passed between them before Naruto looked over at Sakura and said, "Teme and I know a place that's quiet and pretty much deserted around this time of day. Come on, we'll take you there."

Sakura and Ino followed the two boys as they made their way back to the second floor. Instead of turning into the magic wing, they turned into the anthropomorphic wing. Sakura was surprised when the hall came to a sudden end after only ten feet, and just had the one door. Naruto opened the door and held it open for the others as they walked in.

As Sakura walked through the door, she was astounded by what she saw. It seemed like she had left Konoha Academy behind and stepped into a whole new world. Thick vegetation brushed against her clothes as she stepped carefully onto naked soil. Tree trunks reached 50 feet into the air before their branches became lost in a dense canopy of leaves and flowers. The air was heavy with the scents of life, water and heat. The chirping of birds and insects could be heard all around them. Sakura and Ino looked on with awe and wonder at their surroundings.

Behind them, Naruto snickered. "Hey Sakura, you might want to close your mouth before it gets dusty."

Sakura snapped her gapping mouth closed and turned to glare over her shoulder at the blond.

Naruto merely grinned at her as he walked past her into the tropical jungle. "Come on then. It's this way."

Sakura and Ino followed Naruto with Sasuke tailing behind them. As they walked deeper and deeper into the forest, Sakura became more amazed by the second. Plants of all shapes and sizes surrounded them. Most she didn't even recognize, and some looked like they didn't even come from the planet Earth.

After about ten minutes of walking, Naruto stopped at a small clearing of grass. A semi-circle of about a dozen tree stumps sat in the clearing with a small fire pit in the center.

Sakura stepped into the small clearing with Ino and Sasuke right behind her.

"What is this place?" Ino asked as she looked around.

Naruto smiled. "This is basically our classroom. There are three other little clearings like this one around here, but those serve as classes for the other grades. Since we're all basically shape shifters, this whole wing was made into a sort of jungle environment for us to make us feel more comfortable. This place gives us the opportunity and the privacy to learn how to control our powers."

"Wow," Sakura murmured.

Naruto sat down on one of the stumps. Sasuke joined him and sat on the stump next to him. They both looked at Sakura expectantly.

"Well Sakura," Naruto said, "What did you want to tell us? Now's as good a time as any."

Sakura sighed and sat on a stump a little across from the two boys, with Ino sitting on the one beside her.

_Well, here goes_. She cleared her throat and clasped her hands together to keep them from trembling.

_**Easy girl. You can do this.**_

_Thanks_.

Sakura took a deep breath and started, "I guess this all began when I met Sai…"


	19. Chapter 19

**Disclaimer**: I do not own the characters of _Naruto_, nor do I own the rights to the anime or manga in which the characters are derived. I do however own this story, since I am the one who wrote it. So keep your hands off!!! Thank you.  
________________________________________________________________________

**Chapter 19**

Sakura told them everything, from when she met Sai, to that horrible day up on the cliffs. She told them how Sai had seemed sweet at first, how he was kind to her, how he spoke to her, befriended her. When she got the point in the story about the cliffs, she choked on her words for a second.

She felt a hand on her shoulder, squeezing comfortingly. She turned to look at Ino, who smiled encouragingly at Sakura. Sakura smiled back before continuing.

"Sai was… a gentleman. He was always kind and friendly to everyone he met. He never lost his temper with anyone, he never even got annoyed at anyone. I thought he was perfect. It wasn't until our sixth month anniversary that he proved me wrong. He took me out for a picnic out on the Ame bluffs. He…He put some kind of drug in my drink because it wasn't long before my vision started to get blurry, and my speech started to slur."

Ino gasped in horror beside her. Sakura looked over at the boys to see that their faces were tight and that their fists were even tighter. She swallowed the lump in the throat before continuing.

"Sai pushed me down, and h-he pulled out a knife. He c-cut my arm, and used the blood to draw these…markings on his face and arms." She shakily rolled up her sleeve, and turned her arm to show her friends the light scar that ran just under her elbow.

Sakura continued. "He started chanting in a language I didn't understand. I felt…like something was being ripped from inside me. Then h-he t-touched me, and the feeling got worse. I thought I-I was going to d-die." She broke off in a sob. She felt Ino's arms go around her, trying to comfort her. After a few minutes, Sakura managed to calm herself down enough to finish the story.

"Something- I don't know what it was- sort of snapped inside of me, and I blacked out. When I came to, it was near morning. I sat up and saw Sai lying down in the grass away from me. I-I went over to him and saw that he wasn't breathing, and his eyes were open. It wasn't until after I made my to town and my parents came that they decided to send me here so I could learn how to control my powers. That is, when they manifest, if they ever do."

Sakura looked around at her friends as they digested what she had told them. Ino had gone a bit green, and her eyes were wide with sympathy and sadness. Naruto and Sasuke both had grim faces, their eyes hard with anger and loathing.

"So, what happened at Sasuke's party…You had a flashback of what happened to you?" Naruto asked quietly.

Sakura nodded. "Yes. Unfortunately, Sasuke looks a lot like Sai, and I'm afraid that that's what made me relapse into that awful memory." She looked over at Sasuke apologetically. "I'm very sorry for what happened Sasuke. I didn't mean for… _that_ to happen. It's just that when you were crowding me, I panicked."

Sasuke looked up at Sakura. He saw the sadness and regret in her eyes as she looked at him. He gave her a grim smile. "Hey, it's ok. It wasn't like you could help it right?"

Sakura gave him a small smile, silently thanking him for understanding.

Beside her, Ino spoke up. "So, than were you going to a different magic school back home?"

Sakura shook her head. "No, it was a normal high school filled with normal kids. My parents…well, they thought it would be better if I were normal kids, since my powers didn't manifest when I hit puberty. They thought that I didn't have any powers, so they enrolled me in a normal school." Sakura didn't need to tell them that her parents had really put her into a normal school for her protection.

"Then," Ino said, "How did Sai know that you were a witch? And why would he go after you? Why not go to a magic school where he could have his pick of witches that already had their powers?"

_Ah, that's a tricky one_, Sakura thought. "I honestly don't know Ino. Maybe he thought that hunting for witches was easier if they were all alone. Kind of like those lions on the Discovery channel, when they pick out the sick and injured gazelle to kill. I guess it was just easier to go after me…"

Ino nodded, buying into Sakura's explanation. "But how did he know what you were?"

Sakura shrugged. She knew that Sai had recognized her because of her hair, but she couldn't tell her friends that since she wore the ring her aunt gave her, effectively changing her hair color from cotton candy pink to jet black.

Naruto suddenly stood up, looking around at Sakura, Ino and Sasuke. "Well, I think it's safe to say that we all understand the circumstances now." He looked over at Sakura and his eyes became soft with kindness. "Thank you for telling us your story Sakura. I'm sure that it was very hard for you."

Sakura swallowed the lump in her throat that rose up at Naruto's words.

Naruto stretched his arms over his head and let out a breath. Suddenly, a low rumbling sound came from the depths of Naruto's stomach. Naruto blushed and everyone chuckled as the mood lightened.

"Well, I guess we should catch up on the end of lunch. I'm sure that we can grab something before class. Come on Naruto, before your stomach eats you from the inside out," Ino said as she stood up and dusted herself off. She grabbed Naruto by the arm and dragged him off into the shrubbery.

Sakura stared after Ino and Naruto as they disappeared from sight. She wondered why they both left so abruptly when she suddenly realized that she was alone with Sasuke.

_Oh my god, oh my god! What do I say?_

She looked over at Sasuke shyly. Her eyes collided with his. She sucked in a breath in surprise, her tongue feeling swollen and useless as it stuck to the roof of her mouth. They stared at each other for a few more moments before Sasuke stood with a sigh. He took a few steps toward her and held out his hand to help her up.

"Come on."

Sakura looked at his hand, than up at him. She smiled and slipped her hand into his larger one. He helped her to her feet, than as he started to let go of her hand, she tightened her hold. He looked back her, his brow raised.

"Um, Sasuke? I just wanted to t-tell you…that I actually really like you and that I-I'm sorry for what happened, and that if there's anything I ca-"

Sakura was cut short from her rambling. Her eyes widened as her brain tried to catch up with what was happening, but needless to say that she was very confused. It seemed that Sasuke was kissing her. He was kissing her! Those firm lips on hers were not a figment of her imagination, oh no. They sucked and pulled on her lower lip so gently, she couldn't have imagined it. Never had she thought of something that felt so tender in her wildest dreams.

She leaned into the kiss, closing her eyes and moving her lips against his. After a few moments, she felt Sasuke pull away gently. She opened her jade eyes to look into his midnight ones. Sasuke gave her a little smile that made her heart flip inside her chest.

"I don't blame you for what happened," he said huskily. "I'm not even upset. The only thing that I'm upset about the fact that I won't get the chance to rip that guy Sai limb from limb." He growled.

Sakura giggled a bit from hearing Sasuke growl. She put her arms around his waist and hugged him. "Thank you Sasuke."

Sasuke returned Sakura's hug, holding her close to his heart. He tilted his head down and breathed in her sweet scent. He gave her one more squeeze before letting go. His cheeks were a bit red, which gave him a boyish charm and made him look younger than he actually was. He cleared his throat and took her hand again.

"Come on, if we want to eat, we're gonna have to be fast. Naruto doesn't leave much for stragglers."

Sakura grinned as she walked back hand in hand with Sasuke.


	20. Chapter 20

**Disclaimer**: I do not own the characters of _Naruto_, nor do I own the rights to the anime or manga in which the characters are derived. I do however own this story, since I am the one who wrote it. So keep your hands off!!! Thank you.  
________________________________________________________________________

**Chapter 20**

For the rest of the week, Sakura and Sasuke spent much more time together at school. Sasuke even offered to start picking her up to go to school. They walked together to class, ate together at lunch (along with the rest of their friends), sat next to each other in class, and chatted online and on the phone when they could.

Sakura felt like she was having an out-of-body experience whenever she was with Sasuke. It was like she was looking at herself through a rose colored window. The only problem with the rose colored window was that everything looked pink, including her hair.

Standing next to her locker, Sakura mulled over the circumstances that landed her in the place she was in now. She felt guilty for lying to her friends about who she really was, but she knew that if anyone ever found out that she was the Cherry Blossom Witch, not only would she be in danger, her friends would be in danger too.

She sighed as she closed the door to her locker, and headed for the dining hall. Ino and Hinata had gone ahead of her to grab a table, and she knew that Sasuke and the others would be late because of the test they had.

She entered the dining hall and looked around until she spotted a flash of bright blond hair to the side that she knew was Ino. She started to head towards her when someone stepped in front of her, blocking her path.

"Well, what do we have here?" Tayuya sneered.

Sakura rolled her eyes in frustration. "Look Tayuya, I really don't want to fight with you right now. It's Friday and I just want to start the weekend off with no negative feelings, ok? So would you please move so I can go have lunch?"

Tayuya pouted at Sakura. "Aww, but I wanted to talk to you about something Sakura-_chan_."

Sakura clenched her jaw. "What Tayuya?"

"It seems that you and Sasuke have been acting rather…close lately. I want to know why."

Sakura sighed for the second time that day. "Not that it's any of your business Tayuya, but Sasuke and I happen to like each other, and we like each other's company."

Tayuya raised her brow. "That's it?"

"That's it. Anything further than that is for us to worry about, although I appreciate your concern. Thanks for the chat, but I really need to be going now. Bye Tayuya," Sakura said with a forced smile as she tried to walk past her. She was stopped again, this time by Tayuya's arm.

"Hold it Haruno," Tayuya growled. She glared at her, her eyes filled with anger. "Anything 'further' does not bode well for me, or for you."

"Wow. I can't believe that you used 'bode' in the correct way in a sentence. Congrats Tayuya. Have you been studying?"

Tayuya grabbed the front of her shirt, fisting the fabric with her hand. "Don't get smart with me Haruno."

Sakura heard people around her start to whisper and quiet as they became aware of the situation.

"Tayuya, please let go of me."

Tayuya brought her face closer to stare into Sakura eyes. Her hot breath fanned over Sakura's face as she said, "Not until we hash some things out first Haruno." Without warning, Tayuya brought her fist down into Sakura's stomach.

All the air in Sakura's lungs whooshed out all at once as she lost her breath. She fell to her knees with a groan, clutching her belly. There was an awful ringing in her ears, which prevented her from hearing the gasps or the shouts around her, and she most definitely did not hear her friends approach.

"Tayuya! What the hell do you think you're doing?" Ino screeched. Hinata made her way to Sakura's side, kneeling down beside her, trying to see if she was ok.

Tayuya glared at Ino. "Stay out of it. This is between me and Haruno."

"The hell it is. You pick a fight with her, you pick a fight with me!"

"There's more of me than there is of you. You think you can take us all? Bring it."

"I will!"

"Come on!"

"INO!"

Ino and Tayuya froze. Sakura had gotten up with some help from Hinata. She glared at Tayuya, her green eyes afire. She had never felt so mad in her life. It was as if her blood was on fire. Her fingers itched, her head throbbed and all her muscles were taut with rage.

Around Sakura, plates and cutlery began to shake and clatter together. Tayuya stepped back from Sakura, her eyes wide with fear.

"W-What are you doing? Stop it!"

The girl standing behind Tayuya grasped at Tayuya's arm. "You said that she didn't have her powers yet!"

Tayuya pushed her hand away. "Shut up! She doesn't have any powers. This must be something else."

Sakura cocked her head and on the table beside her, a water pitcher levitated up into the air. Burning green eyes locked on Tayuya's frightened face. "You really think so?"

The pitcher suddenly tipped over, its contents spraying all over Tayuya and her cronies. The gaggle of girls cried out and screeched as they got wet.

As Tayuya wiped off the water from her face, she glared at Sakura. "You'll pay for this Haruno. It's far from over between us!" Leaving her threat hanging in the air, Tayuya and her posse hastily retreated.

As soon as they left, everything settled around the dining hall, including the dishware. Sakura sagged against Hinata, feeling very weak and dizzy. Ino and Temari, who had been hanging in the back, went up to Sakura and together with Hinata, helped her to the table.

Sakura sat down at the table with her friends. Her hands were shaking and her whole body seemed to be buzzing with electricity. Ino placed a hand on her shoulder, leaning over her.

"Sakura, you ok? Do you feel like you're going to throw up or something? Do you want to go to the nurse's office?"

Sakura shook her head. "No…No, I don't want to go to the nurse's office. I don't feel all that well though."

Ino looked worried. Hinata and Temari also looked concerned over her. Temari spoke up after a moment.

"Ino, maybe it's her powers. You saw what happened with the water pitcher and the dishes. Maybe her powers are manifesting themselves. We should take her to Anko, or one of the other teachers. Maybe they'll know what to do."

Hinata and Ino agreed and together, they got Sakura to stand up and started walking out. They didn't get far when they heard, "SAKURA-CHAN!!!"

Naruto and Sasuke had just entered the dining hall. Naruto grinned when he saw Sakura, but quickly lost it when he noticed how Ino, Hinata and Temari were trying to help her across the room without letting her drop to the ground.

Sasuke pushed his way past Naruto and made a bee-line straight to the group of girls. "What happened?"

Sakura groaned. The buzzing in her blood was getting worse, her vision was getting blurry, and her legs felt like Jell-o. "Sas…uke….."

A pair of worried black eyes was the last thing that Sakura saw before blacking out.


	21. Chapter 21

**Disclaimer**: I do not own the characters of _Naruto_, nor do I own the rights to the anime or manga in which the characters are derived. I do however own this story, since I am the one who wrote it. So keep your hands off!!! Thank you.  
________________________________________________________________________

**Chapter 21**

A white tiled roof met the groggy gaze of a certain witch as she regained consciousness in the nurse's office. Sakura sat up slowly, bringing a hand up to rub her forehead. There was a rustle of clothing from the side, and Sakura turned to look at a red haired woman wearing a white coat and a pair of black glasses.

The woman smiled down at her, tucking her clip board under her arm as she sat on the edge of the bed.

"Hello. Do you know who you are? Where you are?"

"My name is Sakura Haruno, and the last time I checked, I was in Konoha Academy."

The woman smiled, taking out her clipboard and making a note. "Good, good," she murmured. She turned back to Sakura. "So how do you feel?"

Sakura groaned.

The woman grinned. "Yeah, you'll feel like that until your powers settle."

"Powers?"

The woman nodded. "Yup. It seems that the punch to the gut that girl gave you was just the kick your powers needed to get into gear. Better late than never though, huh?" The woman got up and walked to a little sink beside a desk. Sakura heard the sound of running water, and when the woman returned, she had a plastic cup in her hand. She handed Sakura the cup. "Here, drink this, but slowly."

Sakura took a few small sips of water. The cool liquid ran down her throat, relieving the parched state of her throat. She took a few more sips before setting down the cup on the little side table next to the bed. "Thank you, Miss… I'm sorry. I don't know your name."

The woman smiled. "Oh that's ok. Actually, this is the first time that we've met. I'm the senior nurse here at Konoha Academy. You can call me Nurse Karin, or just Karin. Whatever you prefer."

Sakura smiled at Karin. "Thank you Nurse Karin."

Karin waved off the thank you. "No thanks needed. Oh, and your aunt has been called and informed of what happened. She should be here soon. If you want, you can stay here until she arrives. There's no point in going to class, unless you want to that is. The end of the day is just thirty minutes away." She paused, and then grinned, chuckling lightly. "I just rhymed. What do you know, I'm a poet and I didn't even know it." Laughing at her own lame joke, Karin got up and walked out the office door, telling Sakura that she had some paperwork to file before the end of the school day.

Sakura watched her go, smiling slightly. Her joke had reminded her of her father who also had a fondness for un-funny jokes. He had always made her laugh though. Her mom would just shake her head pityingly, but that didn't hide the grin that graced her face.

Sakura's journey down memory lane was interrupted as her path crossed with the memory of why she was sitting in the nurse's office in the first place. The nurse said that her powers had finally manifested, and that it would be some time before they settled around her. How long they would take to do that, she didn't know. The nurse didn't help because she hadn't said anything about it either. She would have to talk to Aunt Tsunade about it when she came to get her.

_**And then what?**_ Inner Sakura piped up. _**What if someone notices how much stronger you are than all the other witches? Someone's bound to notice you know.**_

_Then I'll just have to be careful about how I use my powers. Nothing to it._

_**Yeah, right. That will totally work.**_

_Well, what else am I supposed to do? I am not transferring to another school, and I'm definitely not dropping out._

_**Well, no one's suggesting that. But now you'll have to be even more careful than you were before. Especially with trying to control your powers. **_

_I know that._

_**Well, I'm just saying…**_

_I know, and I appreciate your concern, really I do. But right now, I think I'm just going to take this one day at a time._

_**Good plan. I'm with you, all the way!**_

Sakura chuckled_. Thanks. I'll call if I need anything._

_**Sure thing. I'm always here after all. **_

Sakura was about to 'say' something else when the office door suddenly burst open. Tsunade stood in the doorway, her hair in disarray, her breath short, and her face slicked with sweat. Sakura gaped at the sight.

"Uh, Aunt Tsunade? What happened to you?"

Without answering Sakura's question, Tsunade made her way across the room. She enveloped Sakura in a bone crushing hug.

"Aunt Tsunade…" Sakura gasped, "Can't…breath…air…"

Tsunade let go of her. "Sorry. It's just that I was so worried about you when the school called me. I thought for sure someone had found out…"

Sakura shushed her and pulled her down so that she sat next to her. "I'm fine. The nurse just told me that my powers have finally manifested themselves."

Tsunade's eyes widened with surprise. "Oh Sakura, that's great! Now you can learn how to defend yourself."

"Yeah, but I think it also means that I need to be even more careful about keeping my true identity a secret Aunt Tsunade. People might find it suspicious that my powers have a little more kick than other witches. They might find it so suspicious, they may come the conclusion that I'm the Cherry Blossom Witch."

It was Tsunade' turn to shush her, looking around nervously. "Quietly Sakura, someone might here you. But of course, you're right. We're really going to have work hard to make sure that you get full control of your powers as soon as possible."

Sakura agreed. "Absolutely. There's no time to waste, so let's go back home and start training." Sakura swung her legs over the bed, and then paused as she looked over at Tsunade. "Um, by the way Aunt Tsunade, what happened to you? I mean, you look, well, awful."

Tsunade looked down at herself, smiling ruefully. "Well, the thing is that when I got called by the school, I jumped into the car and drove right over. Except that on the way here, one of my tires blew out and I didn't have a spare with me. I called a tow truck, and ran the rest of the way here."

Sakura gasped. "But that means that you ran over five miles to get here!"

Tsunade grinned, shrugging her shoulders. "I did used to be a runner in school, and I go out for a jog every now and again to keep in shape. A seven mile run is nothing for your aunt."

Sakura grinned, than a puzzled expression came over her features. "Aunt Tsunade, if the car blew a tire and you called a tow truck to go get it, than how are we getting home?"

"Uh…"

Sakura sighed. "Right. So walking it is then." She stood up, wobbling slightly on her feet. Tsunade came up beside her and took her arm to help her balance. Sakura thanked her aunt before they both made their way to the office door.

As Sakura approached the door, a sudden shiver slithered its way up her spine. Her eyes jumped to the door in surprise and panic. She dislodged herself from her aunt's grip and rushed to garb the door handle, whipping the door open.

She stepped outside, searching the hallway for any signs of life, or lack thereof if her instincts were correct, but she didn't see anyone. She turned her head from side to side, trying desperately to spot even a flicker of movement. Tsunade came up behind her cautiously.

"Sakura? Is everything ok?"

Sakura looked back at her worried aunt, than gave the hallway one more sweep with her eyes. Her shoulders drooped in defeat and her hands went cold with fear. She shook her head.

"No, there's nothing wrong. I just…no. Nothing's wrong."

Tsunade looked apprehensive for a moment before gently taking hold of Sakura arm again. "Come on, let's go home. You'll feel better once you get a goodnight's rest."

Sakura allowed her aunt to lead her down the hall towards the front entrance. Her thoughts were abuzz about what just happened.

_What could that have been? I only feel like that when…_

_**When a vampire is nearby**_.

_I know, but it couldn't have been, could it?_

_**I don't know, but if I were you, I wouldn't take any chances. Remember that we don't have powers against them, but they have powers against us. Whoever it was could try to get your powers for themselves.**_

An image of cold crystal blue eyes flashed in her mind, causing Sakura to involuntarily shiver. Beside her, Tsunade walked closer to her, thinking that she was shivering because of the cold.

_What do I do then?_

_**I say tell Tsunade.**_

_I can't do that. She'll pull me out of school_.

_**Do you have any other ideas?**_

Sakura thought for a few moments as she and Tsunade walked out the front entrance. Behind them, the final bell rang that marked the end of the day. Sakura heard chatter and the patter of sneakers as kids exited their classes.

_I could ask Naruto, Ino and Sasuke for help. Maybe they know of ways to keep vampires away. _

_**Oh yeah, that will go over well. I can see it now, 'Um guys, would you mind helping me keep away a vampire that wants to take my powers away because I'm the freaking Cherry Blossom Witch!'**_

Sakura cringed. _Ok, maybe that's not the best plan._

_**Mhmm.**_

Sakura stared at the ground as it passed by her. She frowned in frustration. _I can't think of anything!_

Inner Sakura growled. _**You had better think of something fast Sakura, or it's the end for you and me.**_

Sakura was so busy arguing with herself, she didn't even notice the little shiver that ran down her back, dismissing it due to the wind. She didn't even notice the pair of cold blue eyes that followed her from one of the towers windows of Konoha Academy.

* * *

A pair of bloodless lips curled upward as the owner watched a certain black haired girl and her aunt walk down the street and out of sight.

"Well well, I never imagined such an opportunity would come my way. After all these years, I will have the chance to gain unimaginable powers."

A white hand rose up from the darkness, coming to rest on the window sill, the translucent skin sizzling slightly due to the heat of the sun.

"Yes, soon your powers will be _mine_ my little cherry blossom. Soon, you will beg for death…"


	22. Chapter 22

**Disclaimer**: I do not own the characters of _Naruto_, nor do I own the rights to the anime or manga in which the characters are derived. I do however own this story, since I am the one who wrote it. So keep your hands off! Thank you.

**Author's Notes**: Hello everyone, I'm so very sorry that it took so long for this story to pick up again. I had a lot of things going on (ie: school) and I had no time to continue. I'm going to do my very best to finish Cherry Blossom Witch within the next couple of months, so hopefully everyone enjoys.  
_

**Chapter 22**

When Sakura and Tsunade reached the house, Sakura raced up to her room while Tsunade called the tow company to get the status of her car.

Sakura slid her backpack from her shoulder, dumping it on the floor. She ran her fingers through her hair worriedly, thinking about what happened back at the school.

Someone knew, she was sure of that. But how could she defend herself against something that she had no powers against? But from what she learned from Temari, she could use spells to protect herself. She just needed to find a spell that was guaranteed to-

RING!

"Gah!" Sakura cried out. Realizing that it was just the phone, she sighed and mentally slapped herself. "It's just the phone for god's sake, don't freak out."

The ringing stopped and a moment later Tsunade called up to her, saying that the phone call was for her.

Picking up the handset from the extension in her room, Sakura answered. "Hello?"

"Hey, Sakura? It's Sasuke."

"Oh Sasuke, hey! How are you?"

She practically melted when she heard his deep chuckle come through the other end of the phone.

"I'm alright. I was wondering how you were doing. I didn't get to check up on you before you left. How are you feeling?"

Sakura sat on the edge of her bed. He wanted to tell him the truth. She wanted to say that she felt scared and worried, that she didn't know what to do and that maybe if she was with him…Maybe if she was with him she'd be alright, even if it was just for a minute.

"I'm actually feeling a lot better than I did when I first woke up," Sakura said instead of what she was really feeling.

"That's good to hear." There was a pause before Sasuke said, "I was wondering, with you feeling better and all, and it being a Friday, if you wanted to go to a movie. With me."

Smiling, Sakura said, "Sure. I'd like that. What time would you like me to be ready?"

"Well, I can pick you up at seven, get something to eat, and then head to the theater."

"Sounds great. I'll see you at seven."

She heard the smile in his voice as he said, "See you at seven."

A click sounded in her ear, signaling that Sasuke had hung up. Sakura put the phone back in its cradle, her mind momentarily distracted by her upcoming date with Sasuke. But as soon as it pushed her previous thoughts of her unknown enemy from her thoughts, they came back just as quickly.

She chewed on her thumb nail with worry. Should she go out with Sasuke knowing that someone knew about her? Could she take that risk?

_**You're actually thinking about this? There shouldn't even be a question about this. You can't go out! What if you're attacked?**_

_I'll have Sasuke with me._

_**You'll have him with you, yes, but what if you get separated? What if he is strong enough to protect you? What if he gets hurt or worse? What then?**_

_Hey, if I lived my life based on 'if' I'd be locked in my own basement, afraid of my own shadow. Is that any way to live?_

_**At least you'd be alive…**_

Sakura sighed. _Look, maybe now that I have my powers, maybe I can find a way to protect myself and Sasuke too._

_**Then I suggest that you get studying girl! You may not have much time. **_

_Agreed. Now, I have to get ready. It's 5:30 and Sasuke said that he'll be here at 7. _

There was no more talk after that as Sakura started to get ready. She showered first, then chose her clothes and did her make-up and hair. For her night out with Sasuke, Sakura chose to wear one of her favorite tops, a midnight blue blouse with a scooped neck. It had sequins along the sides and complemented her figure nicely. She also chose a pair of dark wash jeans and a comfy pair of black wedge heels.

Sakura was touching up her make-up one last time when she heard the door bell ring downstairs. Snatching her purse up, Sakura hurried downstairs so that she could get to the door before Tsunade did. Fate decided not to deal her a lucky hand.

She inwardly groaned as she watched Tsunade answer the door. Sasuke stood on the porch, wearing a forest green shirt that accented his build perfectly. Sakura felt her mouth go dry and her heart beat pick up at the sight of him.

Sasuke gave her aunt a polite smile. "Good evening Ms. Tsunade. I'm here to take Sakura out."

"Where are you going?"

"I'm taking Sakura to dinner and then to a movie."

"I don't want her home later then eleven, understood? She's had a rough day and I don't want her to overdo it."

Sasuke nodded. "Yes ma'am. No later than eleven."

Tsunade nodded with satisfaction. She turned to see Sakura standing at the bottom of the stairs and smiled at her. "Have a good time Sakura, ok? I'm just going to catch up on my shows until you get back."

Sakura nodded. "Ok Aunt Tsunade. I'll see you later." She gave Tsunade a brief goodbye hug before stepping out onto the porch with Sasuke and shutting the door behind her.

She looked up Sasuke and smiled shyly. "Hey Sasuke."

He smiled down at her, making her heart beat speed up. Offering his arm to her, he asked, "Ready to go?"

Taking his arm, Sakura nodded. Sasuke walked her to his car and opened the door for her. She slid in, and put on her seatbelt as Sasuke walked around the front of the car to get to the driver's side. He got in quickly, started the car, and drove away from the curb.

Sakura recognized the restaurant that Sasuke drove up to as one of the finest in town. Nervous, she glanced at Sasuke.

"Um, Sasuke? This is a pretty expensive restaurant. I don't think that I'm dressed for it."

Pulling up to the entrance, Sasuke parked the car. A young man wearing a white shirt and a vest came out and opened the door to Sakura. She stepped out, murmuring a thank you to the young man. Sasuke came to stand beside her and the valet handed him a ticket before shutting the passenger door and moving to slip into the driver's seat, pulling the car away from the entrance.

"Sasuke," Sakura said nervously, "You know, I would have been happy going to a Taco Bell or something."

Sasuke took her hand and led her inside. "Hey, you deserve a nice night out. And besides, this is one of the few places that's owned by a magical family. Usually I can't eat out that often because of my heightened senses. Over processed food usually makes me sick."

"Oh, I didn't realize."

Sasuke shrugged. The maitre de took Sasuke's name and led them inside the restaurant. The inside was styled elegantly. There were no booths, just tables with white table cloths. The floors were tiled in a dark green, and the walls were white with gold accents.

The maitre de seated them at a quite table for two and left them to go over their menus. Through the next hour and a half, Sasuke and Sakura talked about themselves over good food. They laughed at stories from their childhood, shared embarrassing stories, and dreams for the future.

When the check came, Sakura insisted that she pay for half, but Sasuke wouldn't hear of it and handed the waiter a card before she could reach for her wallet.

After paying, and having the valet drive their car up, they headed for the theater. Parking the car, they walked to the entrance. Sakura insisted to getting the tickets since Sasuke got the dinner bill, and he agreed, however reluctantly.

Grabbing the tickets, they went to watch the movie, a new action movie that everyone was raving about.

In about the middle of the movie, Sasuke put his arm around Sakura's shoulders. She smiled at him in the darkness and cuddled into his side as they watched the rest.

As Sakura sat there in the dark theater with Sasuke, she felt the fear she felt only hours ago completely disappear. There was something about being near Sasuke that made her feel completely relaxed. She had no idea how she was able to feel this way about him after only knowing him a short time, but there was something that called her to him. The feeling was almost instinctual and felt right down in the pit of her stomach. It was like coming home.

The theater lights came on and Sakura blinked, her eyes adjusting. Sasuke unwrapped his arm from her shoulders and took her hand to lead her out of the theater.

They drove back to Sakura's house, chatting about the movie. They made it into Sakura's driveway with fifteen minutes to spare from eleven o'clock.

Sasuke walked Sakura up to the door. She noticed that the lights were still on, which meant that Aunt Tsunade had kept her word to wait for her.

When they reached the front door, Sakura turned to Sasuke, smiling. "Thanks for tonight. It was lovely and I had a lot of fun. It was actually just what I needed after today."

"I'm glad that you enjoyed yourself. And you know, if you have sort of trouble, you can come to me. I'll always try my best to help you Sakura."

She blushed lightly at his offer. "Thanks. That means a lot."

Sasuke shrugged absently.

A moment of awkward silence followed before Sakura reached for the door handle. "Well, I guess I'll just-"

Before she could say anything else, Sasuke grabbed her wrist and turned her slowly to face him. She held her breath as she looked up at him, watching as he slowly leaned down. His lips touching to hers were butterfly light, and so warm too. She moved her mouth against his, gently. She felt his hands slid down her arms to hold her hands in his. She wasn't sure how long they were like that, but eventually, Sasuke pulled away, his breath a little rough. He leaned his forehead against hers and gave a crooked smile.

"Goodnight Sakura."

Clearing her throat, Sakura murmured a quiet "Goodnight" in return.

She watched as Sasuke walked back to his car. She opened the door and stepped inside, gave Sasuke a final wave, and then shut the door.

Taking off her shoes, and walking quietly past a snoring Tsunade, she went back up to her room to get ready for bed.

_**Well, that was nice**_, Inner Sakura said as Sakura put on her pj's.

_It really was_. Sakura sighed.

_**What is it?**_

_I had a wonderful time, and I think that I could really fall for Sasuke-_

_**If you haven't already.**_

_Right, right. It's just that I wish I could tell him, you know? I'm uncomfortable with the secrecy and the lying. I just want it to be over. _

_**I know. But now that you have your powers, you just need to learn how to use them to protect yourself! Once you do that, you can come out of hiding and have nothing to be scared of. **_

_Yes. I just hope that I have the chance_…


	23. Chapter 23

**Disclaimer**: I do not own the characters of _Naruto_, nor do I own the rights to the anime or manga in which the characters are derived. I do however own this story, since I am the one who wrote it. So keep your hands off! Thank you.

**Author's Notes**: Wow. Sorry about the major delay everyone! I know that a lot of you have been looking forward to the conclusion for this story, but I've had a major block with this story for a while and seriously considered discontinuing it. But I changed my mind and decided that the fans of this story deserved an ending. So, I will try to end this story quickly and with everyone's satisfaction. Enjoy and thank you all for your patience.

**Chapter 23**

Tayuya was furious. She and a few of her followers had snuck into a movie, and low and behold, there was that little bitch Sakura with Sasuke. That slut had been all over Sasuke during the last half of the movie. She'd watched as they left together, all lovey-dovey. After that, she had been in no mood to go down to the docks and spray paint the boardwalk, so she ditched her group and started walking home.

The night was dark and the wind was cold as it blew against her face. Gritting her teeth and pulling her jacket closer to her body, Tayuya walked under the dull light of the street lamps.

Suddenly, she heard a snap of a twig behind her. She turned to see if there was anyone behind her, but she could only see shadows. Shrugging, she continued walking, thinking that the sound had been made by a stray cat. There were a lot of them in the neighborhood, and-

SNAP!

Tayuya didn't look back this time, but her step quickened. Tough as she might be, she did not want to run into something in the middle of the night on a deserted street.

She shivered in the wind, and looked behind her shoulder, but saw nothing. As she was glancing behind her, she bumped into something and cried out in surprise. She whipped her head around and her brown eyes clashed with blue. She remembered nothing else before she fell into darkness.

* * *

Sakura laughed at one of Ino's stories during morning classes. There was 15 minutes until lunch and Anko had given the class the last half hour free to do what they wanted. Sakura had originally planned on studying, but Ino would have none of it.

Ino told her that there was a rumor going around that Sakura had been out on a date with Sasuke and Ino was insistent on finding out every little detail from Sakura.

In the middle of Sakura telling Ino about her date with Sasuke, the bell rang, signaling that lunch was starting. Gathering their books, Ino and Sakura walked out of class, still talking about Sakura's date.

As they walked down the hallway to their lockers, Sakura caught sight of Tayuya standing against a wall. Sighing inwardly, Sakura readied herself for the attack, but as she and Ino walked by Tayuya, Sakura was surprised when Tayuya made no move towards her. She didn't even make a snide comment or try to insult her. She just watched as Sakura walked by. It was a bit unnerving. Tayuya's eyes were focused on her, but they seemed…duller, clouded.

Sakura shrugged it off. It wasn't any concern of hers whether Tayuya was alright or anything. After dropping their books off at their lockers, Sakura and Ino met up with everyone else at the entrance, then they all grabbed food and went to get some seats.

The room was filled with sound of chatter as the students had lunch. Sakura smiled as she watched her friends interact around the table. Sasuke was sitting beside her, his chair close to hers as he ate his lunch. He glanced her way and smiled at her when their eyes met. She smiled back and thought how lucky she was to be there with people who genuinely cared about her.

She was laughing with the others as Naruto told them a story of how he and Sasuke once got stuck in the sewers after going in after their ball, when she felt someone tap her on the shoulder.

Turning around, Sakura was surprised to see Tayuya standing behind her. Good mood suddenly evaporating, Sakura looked up at the red head. "What do you want Tayuya?"

The chatter around the table died down as everyone waited for Tayuya to answer. She just stood there, staring down at Sakura, who started to get a little uncomfortable under Tayuya's unblinking gaze.

"Jeez Tayuya! What's your problem? What do you want?" Ino snapped from across the table.

Tayuya didn't answer. She cocked her head, like she was listening to someone talk in her ear, then reached down and grabbed Sakura's hand. Then she turned around, jerking Sakura's arm under her armpit so that she could get a better hold on her.

Sakura suffered a moment of confusion before it bloomed into panic when she felt Tayuya's fingers tugging at her ring.

"No!" She cried as she tried to pull her arm away.

"Hey, what the hell are you doing Tayuya?"

"Let go of her you psycho!"

Her friends cries of outrage did not hinder Tayuya from her mission, in fact, their cries seemed to spurn her on as she pulled at the ring.

When Sakura felt the ring slip from her finger, everything looked like it was going in slow motion. Especially when her hair started to turn from black to pink.

Sakura held perfectly still until every strand of hair on her head turned rosy. She was frozen on the spot, her mind blank on what to do next. Everything around her had gone deathly quiet and all she could hear was the beating of her heart.

She slowly turned to look at her friends. Each one had an expression of utter surprise on their face. Naruto's eyes were practically bugging out of his head and at any other time, Sakura would have had to keep herself from laughing. As it was, she was at present trying to keep from crying.

She looked at Sasuke now, his face holding more than surprise. There was confusion as well, and was that…was that anger? Betrayal? Oh god, she didn't know, but right now, she didn't want to find out.

"I'm sorry," she whispered. She didn't wait for anyone to respond. She turned around and ran out of the room, her tears escaping only when she had left.

Ice blue eyes watched as the black-gone-pink haired girl ran out of the cafeteria, rosy strands flicking and bouncing behind her.

"Oh my god, I cannot believe that Sakura is the Cherry Blossom Witch!"

Garaa turned his cool eyes to look at his sister Temari, her expression of surprise matching everyone else's in the room. Garaa kept his face blank, making it seem like he simply did not care that the witch of legend had just been revealed in a school cafeteria.

Their brother, Kankuro nodded his head in agreement with Temari. "It is pretty amazing huh? After all this time without a word of her whereabouts and she just pops up here."

Garaa looked back at the door where the witch had run through. After she had left the room, students had started to talk again in astonished whispers. Garaa ignored them. His eyes found the red head that he had used earlier. His mental link to her was still connected, so he let her go as her job was already done.

He watched as Tayuya blinked slowly, as if just waking up from a deep sleep. She looked around, dazed. He watched as she made her way to the side of the room and sat down in an unoccupied chair, trying to get her bearings.

Picking up his 'water' bottle, Garaa stood up and walked away from the table. His siblings called to him, asking where he was going, but he didn't answer them. He kept walking until he passed through the cafeteria entrance into the hall.

* * *

Sakura sobbed as she ran down the hall blindly. She didn't stop until she hit a hallway that led into a dead end. Since there was no one around, she just sagged against the wall and sank down to the floor.

Her pink hair fell across her forehead. Sakura angrily brushed it away. Everything was ruined now that everyone had seen her hair. They wouldn't treat her the same, she was sure of it. She would probably have to drop out of school, move somewhere else, forget about all the friends she made here. She would have to leave Sasuke, forget all about him.

Her heart felt like it had been gripped by a vice just thinking about it. She didn't want to leave Sasuke, but if she had to, she'd at least tell him why. She owed him and the others that much. But she couldn't explain now, she couldn't go back. She would go home, tell Tsunade what happened and then figure out what to do afterward.

Taking a few minutes to calm down, Sakura picked herself up off the floor, brushed herself off and headed back the way she came.

She didn't get to far down the hall when a figure walked around the corner, shrouded in darkness. Sakura flinched, half expecting a crowd of students to follow the lone figure, but none came. Frowning, Sakura stepped closer. As she came near, a shiver ran up her spine.

Before she could react, she was pushed against a wall and stared bewildered into a pair of cold blue eyes.


	24. Chapter 24

**Disclaimer**: I do not own the characters of _Naruto_, nor do I own the rights to the anime or manga in which the characters are derived. I do however own this story, since I am the one who wrote it. So keep your hands off! Thank you.

**Chapter 24**

Sasuke rushed out of the cafeteria after getting over the shock of finding out that Sakura – his Sakura – was the Cherry Blossom Witch of legend.

Sniffing the air, Sasuke quickly found out which way Sakura went. Following her scent, he found himself run into a dead end with Sakura nowhere in sight. Confused, Sasuke backtracked and followed her scent once again, but once again found himself in a dead-end hallway.

He sniffed around the hall, trying to figure out what had happened to Sakura's scent. It didn't go into any of the classrooms, but he checked just to make sure. It just stopped in the hall. Which didn't make sense because-

There. Breathing in deeply, Sasuke smelled it, a void. And nothing left a void in a scent trail except…

A deep growl rumbled in his chest. He felt his fingers tingle and when he looked down, he could see his claws start to grow. Rage and fear for Sakura bubbled inside him. Closing his eyes, he suppressed his beast for now. When he felt under control again, he rushed from the hall, hoping to find a certain vampire before finding the proper authorities.

* * *

Naruto and the others were all stunned. They hadn't moved from their spots when Sakura rushed out, or when Sasuke went after her. Each of them were in shock over what had happened.

Ino was the first to speak. "I can't believe it…"

Naruto nodded, and saw a few other do the same. "Yeah, it's pretty amazing huh? Sakura being the Cherry Blossom Witch and all."

Ino looked over at Naruto in bafflement. "Amazing? It's not amazing, it's fantastic!"

Naruto looked over at Ino in confusion. "Huh?"

"Don't you get it! We're friends with the Cherry Blossom Witch! We just jumped, like, five rungs on the social ladder! She's gonna be the most popular girl in school and WE get to be popular with her!"

Naruto felt anger at Ino's attitude. "Ino, didn't you see the way she looked before she ran out of here? I could smell that she was on the verge of crying! Don't you remember what she told us about Sai? She's probably never going to come back to school, popular or no."

Ino looked stricken and hung her head. "I forgot about that…"

Hinata agreed with Naruto. "We should go find her. She probably feels really scared right now."

They all agree to the idea and started towards the exit when Sasuke rushed back in. Naruto was about to ask where Sakura was, but Sasuke blew right past him and headed straight to his intended targets.

Sasuke slammed his hand down on the table as he glared at Temari and Kankuro, eyes flashing red.

"Where is she?" he growled.

"Where's who?" Temari asked, confused about what Sasuke was talking about.

"Sakura! Where is she?"

Kankuro shrugged. "She just ran out here not too long ago. How would we know where she was?"

Sasuke growled again, his canines lengthening. "She's gone, I can't find her anywhere, and her scent had vanished. I did smell a void in her trail though, and the only things I can't smell are vampires. Which one of you took her?"

Temari stood and leaned over the table to glare into Sasuke eyes, her own fangs bared. "How dare you accuse us! We have been here the whole time since Sakura had left the cafeteria. If she is missing, we had nothing to do with it."

Sasuke was silent. He glanced at the only empty seat at the table and gestured towards it. "Where's your brother then?"

Temari glanced at the chair. Her eyes narrowed. "I don't know. He left the table shortly after Sakura ran out."

Sasuke snarled. "Then he's the one who took her!"

"You have no proof of that Uchiha. So before you start saying things you'll regret, I suggest that you quiet down," Temari snarled back.

Sasuke growled in anger, pushing himself from the table. He stalked back to the dining hall entrance, not taking notice that his friends had left their table to follow him.

"Sasuke! Sasuke, did you find Sakura?" Naruto asked, coming up beside him.

"She was taken." He growled.

Ino gasped behind him. "Taken, what do you mean taken?"

Sasuke filled them in on that he couldn't find Sakura after she ran from the dining hall. He also told them about what think might have happened.

"How are we going to find her if you can't track her? She could be in real danger!" Ino cried.

Sasuke motioned for her to hush-up while he thought. He couldn't track Sakura through scent, that was true. But maybe someone else…

Sasuke turned to Hinata, who had followed them silently out of the dining hall. "Hinata, perhaps you can help."

Hinata started at the use of her name. "M-me?"

Sasuke nodded. "Elves have the best eyes, right? Maybe you can see something that I couldn't, something that I might have missed."

Hinata gulped and nodded shyly. "I can t-try."

Sasuke lead them all down the hall where he lost Sakura's scent. He stood back and let Hinata survey the scene. He watched as the veins around her pale eyes bulged, her vision becoming more enhanced.

Hinata looked around the hallway for a few minutes while everyone watched.

"N-no, I don't see any…Wait. Yes, I do see something!"

"What? What do you see?" Sasuke said.

"Footprints."


End file.
